Trees for the Future Donates Trees All Over The Globe

I am an online survey taker. Years ago I came across a pretty cool company that sends me links for surveys in all manner of topics and I answer the ones I want in order to gain points. The points can be used to “purchase” items in their redemption center.

So far I have collected enough points to redeem for items like a Black and Decker cordless screwdriver, a sushi set (with chopsticks) made of bamboo for two, gift cards, CD’s, a coffee grinder and more. So when they emailed me recently to let me know that for just 200 points I could help donate 10 trees through the Trees for the Future program I was intrigued!

Like any good researcher I immediately set out to find out all I could about Trees for the Future. Turns out, the non-profit organization has been busy planting upwards of 50 million trees in countless countries all around the world since 1989. They have been instrumental in providing training in agro-forestry as well as seed distribution efforts in order to bring tree cover back to many rural communities which have lost this precious resource.

And all I had to do to help further the cause was click a button to redeem 200 points for the planting of ten trees! It felt great to be able to help in even this small way. You just never know where the opportunity to make a difference might be lurking!

To find out more about this very dedicated organization you can visit them on the web at:

Trees for the Future website
Treesftf on Facebook
Treesftf on You Tube

There are many ways to donate directly to Treesftf -- give a gift of a planted tree to someone else, give a cash donation, donate a car, truck or boat, volunteer, or organize a tree planting project of your own! I highly suggest getting over to their website and exploring the various options for how to help.

The planet, and all its oxygen breathing inhabitants, will thank you for it!

Football Gets Greener Every Year

There are likely few people who would use the words “football” and “environment” in the same sentence, least of all to compliment each other, but new efforts by players and teams all over the National Football League (NFL) are popping up to show that even these extremely tough, physical folks have a soft spot that is all Green.

In 2008 Super Bowl XLII (42) was played in Glendale, Arizona. A Super Bowl, with its many flights, tons of food consumed, general waste and thousands of vehicles driven to and from the location, tends to be an enormous drain on the environment but Arizona stepped it up and initiated some amazing efforts in 2008. 65,000 pounds of prepared food was donated to food banks, soup kitchens and shelters and upwards of 9,000 trees were planted (NFL's reforestation plan) to offset the 350 tons of CO2 emissions generated during Super Bowl week.

The same efforts to offset emissions through planting of thousands of trees in the local area (Tampa Bay) also took place prior to Super Bowl XLIII. This effort marked the fifth year the NFL was doing a little something to give back.

The efforts do not stop with Super Bowls however.

Recently I was introduced to the story of Ovie Mughelli, a Fullback for the Atlanta Falcons and arguably the Greenest player in the NFL today. He has such a strong passion for protecting the youth of society that he started the Ovie Mughelli Foundation, an organization which, in addition to numerous confidence building efforts, encourages eco-awareness. The Foundation made an appearance at the Emmy’s “Alive! Expo Green Pavilion” this year; its first. The overall motto, “Our future is Green.”, is designed to encourage feelings of strengthened community through the environmental efforts of society’s youth.

As a New Englander it is so exciting to learn that the stadium where the Patriots play, Gillette in Foxboro, Massachusetts, has just deemed wind power an important option. Through Constellation NewEnergy all electricity used during home games this season will be matched through Renewable Energy Credits for wind power. Since the stadium was constructed in 2000 it has been a shining example of how large commercial construction can incorporate eco-friendly efforts into the design with great efficiency and no noticeable impact on the overall cost.

Through the leadership examples of players like Ovie Mughelli, and teams like the Patriots, it is only a matter of time before the entire NFL goes Green. I look forward to hearing more about the thousands of new trees planted in Miami as well. Thanks for being responsible NFL!

Atlanta Falcons schedule
New England Patriots schedule
Super Bowl XLIV

Photo courtesy Jayel Aheram

Sharing Is Caring

Yesterday I was desperately trying to contribute to the novel I am currently working on and I must have opened it fifteen times but could not conceive of a single sentence that would add to it so I closed it just as many times. It frustrated me that there was nothing inspired coming to mind with regard to the story or character development so instead of typing I picked up my journal and pen. This is one of my favorite exercises as it tends to free the blockage because I am just frantically writing whatever comes to mind no matter how insane it may read later.

At one point while scribbling away I happened to sprawl out lengthwise on my sofa and glanced out the window at the treetops that are visible out back. I stared at them for quite some time and was instantly inspired by their naked beauty so I threw down a little bit of prose.

Generally when I write poetry it is about me, dreams I have had, feelings I need to purge and for the most part I tend to use words that no one but me understands the true meaning of, although many people can relate to the feeling or tone. Prose in my world tends not to be literal and never about nature but for some reason yesterday was different. I posted this over at my personal blog but got to thinking about it this morning and wanted to share my view of yesterday’s nature with all of you as well. Hope you enjoy it.

Just Outside
The wind blows through the branches
And they sway effortlessly,
Elegantly
Against a backdrop of cloudy sky.
A tree can bow in the
Strongest storm
As long as the trunk is sturdy
And the roots are deep.
A shaft of light bursts through
Illuminating the brown bark
Creating shadows for birds
To hide from my eyes.
The light begins to fade
But the tiny tips of the branches
Protrude proudly.
The wind picks up
Branches thrash wildly,
Waving at me inside my home
As if to say ‘pick me for the team’.
Trees do not show emotion
All they do is hold firm.
Years go by,
Centuries.
They see everything
But remember nothing
Except how to flower in the spring.
The monochromatic brown
Suddenly turns to green
Still a singular color palate
Nothing more than the same waving tree,
The same swaying limbs,
Now against a blue sky.
But the branches are hidden
And the leaves show the spirit
That swelled up from deep within the trunk.
The trees may not know how to show joy
But I do.