The News: In celebration of Earth Month, Amazon is inviting US-based Alexa users to sponsor a tree planting where needed around the world for a $1 donation as part of a new initiative with the One Tree Planted environmental project. Alexa users can make their $1 donations for each tree planting by telling their Alexa devices, “Alexa, grow a tree,” and the donations will be made. The tree-growing effort is the latest in Amazon’s ongoing global sustainability programs, which are designed to focus attention on the need to care for the Earth. Read the full Amazon Press Release about the project here.
Alexa, Grow a Tree: Amazon Continues Its Global Sustainability Efforts to Celebrate Earth Month and Plant a Tree for $1 Through the One Tree Planted Project
Analyst Take: Amazon’s “Alexa, grow a tree” initiative is a simple, yet effective way to celebrate Earth Month, as Amazon continues to demonstrate a commitment to tackling the issue of climate change. This newest initiative — with minimal $1 donations launched in celebration of Earth Month through the “Alexa, grow a tree” initiative — is interesting, as it’s also a way for its customers to share in that commitment.
I love this. The Alexa, grow a tree initiative is a straight-forward and recognizable way for Amazon to grow its efforts in finding workable, affordable, and easy-to-organize projects that can encourage sustainability while also getting more people involved in the core mission of better protecting our Earth.
Amazon is no stranger to sustainability issues around the world. In 2019, the company co-founded The Climate Pledge with the group, Global Optimism, calling for a commitment to net-zero carbon by 2040, ten years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
Amazon is also contributing toward sustainability through 1:1 investments in renewable energy for each Echo device and other efforts which show that the company is making a concerted effort to combat climate change.
In the case of this “Alexa, grow a tree project,” this takes simple to a new level by allowing Amazon customers to easily make a meaningful donation of only $1 per tree to help plant needed forests around the world.
As part of the initiative, Amazon is also donating $1 million to One Tree Planted to help plant one million trees through the end of December to power the effort.
This is a great program, and one that I believe can make a real difference in communities where a wide range of issues have caused deforestation issues around the world.
The initial reforestation projects include surface mine restoration on about 34 acres of surface-mined land in Centre County, Pennsylvania, which is unable to naturally regenerate on its own; a forest fire restoration area in Northern California’s Colusa County which were devastated by fires in 2018; and the planting of fruit trees to fight hunger in India to help small farmers in marginalized communities across India.
Similar sustainability and environmental efforts are important to a growing number of companies around the world, including Cisco, Samsung, and T-Mobile, to name just a few, Cisco Systems, Samsung, and T-Mobile, which are making their own efforts to battle pollution, excessive consumption and overuse of the Earth’s resources.
About One Tree Planted
One Tree Planted is an environmental charity that supports reforestation around the world by raising and reinvesting money where it is needed. By joining in this latest project with Amazon, Alexa users will now be able to use their own voices via Alexa to plant trees around the world.
Since 2014, One Tree Planted has planted over 40 million trees in more than 43 countries, including 23.5 million trees planted in 2021 alone. The organization aims to make it easy for everyone on Earth to contribute to plant trees to collectively restore forests, foster biodiversity, and make a positive social impact around the world.
I’m an Alexa user, and I know I’ll be participating in Amazon’s “Alexa, grow a tree” initiative. Hopefully you’ll join me!
Disclosure: Futurum Research is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of Futurum Research as a whole.
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