From hurricanes to tsunamis, the world has been hit with a plethora of fatal disasters over the past seven-and-a-half years. And while communities often come together in extreme times of need, large corporations also reach out to use their global influence for good and lend a helping hand.
Of the giving companies out there, Timberland most recently gave their time to help the kids of Haiti plant 2.2 million trees in an effort to rebuild the country from its 7.0-magnitude earthquake in 2010. The famed lifestyle brand is working in conjunction with the Smallholder Farmers Alliance–a small, non-governmental organization in Haiti that helps restore “tree cover‖to teach farmers “how to improve crop yields, develop eight community tree nurseries and support agricultural training centers in the region,†reports NBC’s the grio.
As Haiti’s restoration continues, the organizations confirm an “additional 1 million trees will be planted this year as well as in 2014 and 2015.†Timberland and the Small Farmers Alliance have committed to planting five million trees in five years, and both organizations are already seeing the fruits of their work.
“When this program began, our vision was to create a model that could be self-financing within a reasonable amount of time and would generate positive social, environmental and economic impact,†says Margaret Morey-Reuner, Timberland’s senior manager of values marketing. “The great results so far are a testament to the camaraderie, hard work and independence of these farmers as well as to this private sector, NGO and community stakeholder collaboration.â€