Author = Pledge 1% Team
Every Earth Month, tree-planting initiatives take center stage—and for good reason. Trees clean our air, cool our cities, and absorb carbon, making them a powerful tool in creating a healthier environment for all. YES! AND at this moment, it also makes sense to expand the conversation to include other impactful environmental actions. By looking beyond trees, we can work to ensure that sustainability efforts are more inclusive, community-driven, and effective.
Yes Trees! AND . . .
Tree planting is a fantastic climate solution when done thoughtfully—in the right places, with the right species, and with long-term care in mind. However, in some cases, tree-planting campaigns can overlook the broader environmental and social needs of a community.
For example:
- Urban neighborhoods suffering from extreme heat need not just trees, but also cooling infrastructure like reflective rooftops and accessible green spaces.
- Some ecosystems, like grasslands and wetlands, store more carbon than forests yet receive far less attention.
- Indigenous land stewardship, which has preserved ecosystems for generations, is often overlooked in favor of new planting initiatives.
By broadening our approach, we can amplify the impact of tree planting and create holistic climate solutions that work for everyone.
Consider trying one of these alternative focus areas during Earth Month this year:
Support Community-Led Urban Greening
Instead of planting trees and walking away, we can support local initiatives that engage communities in planting, maintaining, and benefiting from urban forests. Programs that prioritize cooling shade, biodiversity, and long-term care ensure that trees thrive for generations.
For example, Docusign.org has funded the creation of pocket forests through their Local Impact Fund, which provides grants to organizations enhancing urban sustainability in the cities where they have their largest offices. To date they have provided grants that supported new forests in Seattle and Dublin. Docusign employees join forces with the local Forest Maker and community members to both plant and maintain the forest through volunteer events.
In Seattle, Docusign.org worked with SUGi, a nonprofit that provides a 360 degree approach to biodiversity building, ecosystem restoration, and (re)establishing Nature connections in communities. Check out the Seattle Unity Forest as a great example of this partnership.
Protect and Restore Wetlands, Grasslands, and Mangroves
Forests aren’t the only ecosystems that capture carbon. Wetlands and grasslands store carbon even more efficiently while also preventing erosion and protecting wildlife. Supporting conservation efforts for these ecosystems is a powerful climate action.
Consider Salesforce, who in 2021 supported the establishment of the Mangrove Breakthrough Secretariat and invested in eight mangrove restoration and conservation projects to support the Mangrove Breakthrough, including Blue Ventures, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Osa Conservation, One Tree Planted, Fundación Mexicana para el Océano A.C., Perry Institute of Marine Science, Conservation International, and the Sustainable Ocean Alliance Tanzania.
Honor Indigenous Land Stewardship
Many Indigenous communities have been protecting and restoring ecosystems for centuries. Supporting Indigenous-led conservation projects, land rematriation, and traditional ecological practices ensures that climate solutions are guided by deep-rooted wisdom and sustainable management.
Zoom Cares, for example, focuses on supporting indigenous-led and community-based initiatives that work to build thriving communities. They funded the Arctic Eider Society, a Canadian nonprofit that collaborates with Inuit and Cree communities to address the environmental changes impacting sea-ice ecosystems in the Hudson and James Bays. This funding supported the development and management of the SIKU App, a mobile app and web platform designed by and for Inuit communities to facilitate indigenous-led research and environmental monitoring.
Support Community Composting
Organic waste in landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Starting a neighborhood composting program diverts waste while creating nutrient-rich soil for local gardens. It's a circular solution that builds community connections.
The California Alliance for Community Composting (CACC) is a network of composting advocates, organizations, and community members dedicated to expanding decentralized, community-based composting across California. They focus on supporting small-scale composting sites, promoting compost education, and influencing policy to make composting more accessible. CACC works to reduce food waste, enrich soil health, and strengthen local food systems by empowering grassroots composting initiatives.
Address Resilient Housing and Urban Heat
Trees help reduce urban heat, but so do cool roofs, reflective pavement, and energy-efficient buildings. Supporting projects that address housing and infrastructure improvements can make cities more livable and resilient.
C40 Cities is a network of nearly 100 major cities working together to address climate change. The organization helps cities implement policies and share best practices to reduce emissions, improve air quality, and build climate resilience. Their initiatives focus on areas such as clean energy, sustainable transportation, waste reduction, and urban cooling strategies like green infrastructure and reflective surfaces.
Embrace Upcycling and Waste Reduction
Reducing waste is just as important as planting trees. Upcycling—repurposing old materials into new, useful items—helps cut down on landfill waste and reduces the need for new resource extraction. Supporting circular economy initiatives, sustainable fashion, and creative reuse programs can make a big impact.
For example, Pledge 1% member Liquidonate is a social enterprise that uses proprietary software to match goods from retailers, brands, and other sources with nonprofits, charities, and schools in need.
And Toast, the all-in-one payment platform built for restaurants, has partnered with Food Rescue US, both with an integration in their POS platform so their restaurant customers can indicate they have food to be rescued and donated as well as through a campaign encouraging Toast employees to use the app to rescue food in their community and deliver it to local nonprofits to prevent food waste.
Stick with the Trees Too
This isn't about abandoning tree planting—it's about expanding our environmental toolkit. Many regions absolutely benefit from increased tree cover, particularly urban heat islands and deforested areas. The key is thoughtful implementation of the right solution for each ecosystem.
For those who want to support tree planting efforts, consider organizations like One Tree Planted. Many of our Pledge 1% members have worked with One Tree Planted and designed creative campaigns to get their stakeholder communities involved in planting trees. Motivate your community to interact with your social content by planting trees for “likes” or integrate tree planting into your conferences and events. Supporting trees is something everyone can get behind.
Finally, if you want to offer your employees the freedom to choose how they want to get involved and maybe leverage some friendly team competition, you might consider something like the Earth Month EcoChallenge. Running from April 1-30, it invites participants to take part in daily actions promoting environmental and social change. By selecting actions aligned with their values, participants work towards a more sustainable and equitable future. Driven by passionate employees, Atlassian is supporting its employees in logging actions globally throughout the month of April.
This Earth Month, consider which environmental action best suits your local ecology and your stakeholders. Perhaps it's joining a seagrass restoration effort if you live near the coast, or advocating for green roof installations in your urban neighborhood. By diversifying our approach to environmental stewardship, we create a more resilient, holistic movement—one that recognizes the unique value of all ecosystems.
