Why Eden?
Every day, working in some of the world’s most remote and politically unstable places, we overcome challenges with grit, relentlessness, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to our mission to plant trees and save lives.
Today, we operate in 10 project countries, plant nearly a million trees per day, and maintain planting levels even when faced with civil unrest, extreme weather, wild animals, or other disruptions. As we restore the forest canopy, leaf litter, water, and wildlife return, and nature begins to heal. Meanwhile, communities that are facing extreme poverty are given new opportunities at economic self-sufficiency, improved health, and education.
We start our reforestation projects by connecting with local communities and building relationships with local leaders who want their environment to thrive. These communities guide us to planting opportunities, build their citizens’ commitment to restoring and protecting the forest, and creatively overcome restoration obstacles.
We provide economic incentives and simple planting techniques to support local communities in restoring their local environment and economy. We keep our systems simple, so they can be easily replicated and implemented by people who don’t have many resources and must deal with treacherous roads, unreliable electricity, and spotty internet. Putting the local community at the center of our work inspires great commitment to reforestation in their country and a sense of ownership to protect their forests long-term. Our success and the communities’ success are inextricably entwined.
Many of our leaders grew up in a culture other than their country of nationality. As a result, they relate well to the communities and work effectively in remote, poverty-stricken settings. They have built teams that are committed to success, adaptable, and intrepid. They are willing to catch a four-foot-long iguana, deter elephants from trampling nurseries, and handle being held at gunpoint by thugs. Despite political unrest, civil wars, major storms, earthquakes, warlords, bandits, thugs, poachers, and wildlife, they continue to plant.
Our credibility and results enable us to attract a wide array of donors and top-quality board members. As our budget increases, we have the resources to invest in developing our carbon project subsidiary, Compassionate Carbon, and implementing technology systems to expand monitoring, evaluation, and reporting to donors.
As we continue to scale, we will grow from planting nearly a million trees per day to more than a billion trees per month.
