72 More Trees for Inner Mongolia!-MTP at Eco Design Fair

During the weekend of April 13^th and 14^th, 2013, Shanghai Roots & Shoots Million Tree Project participated in the 2013 Eco Design Fair at The Cool Docks in Shanghai. Bright sunny weather brought many eco design lovers to the fair. Many of them showed great interest in the Million Tree Project (MTP). They got to know MTP and Shanghai Roots & Shoots’ other projects well from our devoted staff and volunteers. MTP received 1,800RMB donation, which means 72 more trees will be planted in Inner Mongolia (1 tree =25RMB)! MTP also worked jointly with BioFarm to give each donor a free organic lettuce in a pot.

The Million Tree Project was established in 2007 as a response to the devastating effects of desertification, a process that has already degraded one-third of China’s total landmass, destroying much of the natural environment. Unsustainable human consumption and activities, such as clear-cutting of forests, overgrazing and over-cultivation has put incredible strain on the environment. As a consequence, once-fertile agricultural lands become depleted of natural resources and are left to destructive degradation.

The MTP gives concerned citizens a chance to take a proactive stance to reverse the effects of desertification in China through tree planting on degraded lands in Kulun Qi, Inner Mongolia. Tree planting anchors and replenishes topsoil and creates a natural barrier for local towns that experience terrible sandstorms each spring. The MTP successfully hit its target of planting one million trees in Inner Mongolia by 2014 last year in 2012. It has now started the journey to plant the second million tree.