To be an eco-traveler is to go beyond caring for our footprint in the places we visit and Air France knows it. So to help improve the impact of each passenger, created a powerful and very green alliance.
An eco-traveler in the Air France style
Since we are talking about power, let us tell you that trees are incredible plants. They allow you to breathe between 5 and 6 liters of air per minute, which in 24 hours is approximately 7200 and 8600.
In order to cover it, 22 trees are needed to meet the demand of one person per day. Unfortunately, our bad practices are encouraging that this need is increasingly complicated to cover.
Travel and plant a tree so that we can have a better world.
This is due to the bad practices of humans, who have been in charge of destroying natural spaces and promoting deforestation, without thinking that this harms and puts our own existence at risk.
Thinking precisely in this situation, Air France and the association A Tree For You, created «A tree for you», an alliance that allows its passengers to become eco-travelers and plant a tree, after they get off the plane and at a reach of a click.
I want to plant a tree! … How does it work?
With the program «A Tree For You», travelers (by plane, boat, car …) can donate and, in doing so, support tree planting projects. This program has been developed with Air France, the first company that allows its passengers to donate to Trip and Tree.
To participate, all you have to do is enter the website A Tree For You and select the «Get Planting» button. Next, you must choose the home where this tree will grow. You can choose between Togo, Madagascar, France and more.
These three places have a protected and safe space in which your tree can grow. It is worth mentioning that the three sites have a different price … let’s see what is it that offer three of the eight places available for planting.
1. Tago
In this small town of 600 inhabitants, the soil is extremely degraded and, therefore, largely infertile for subsistence crops.
The villagers also lack firewood and wood. So a tree in this area, not only benefits the environment, it also sustains the communities.
«Together, we will plant trees to provide food and timber to the villagers, and to protect the forest gallery of the Zio River,» they share on the page.
To plant a tree in the area of Tago, costs € 0.35 and so far they have managed to finance about 6624 trees.
You can get more information about the area and donate your tree by clicking here!
2. Madagascar
In the sensitive area of Lake Itasy, the Mahavotra project is helping 700 farming families change their practices towards agroecology and the establishment of forest and agroforestry systems.
So just like in Tago, your donation not only helps improve the quality of life on planet Earth. Also of the communities that reside in this territory and those who depend on these practices to live.
In Madagascar, donating a tree costs only 1.74 €. Unfortunately there are only 792 trees here but you can help increase this amount by clicking here.
3. France
At The Real Food Fight farm, everything is certified on an organic farm (Agriculture Biologique, AB), horses have replaced tractors and bread is baked with traditional cereals. Here, planting a tree costs € 24,000.
This is because planting in France helps restore forest operations based on sustainable methods and, therefore, supports the country’s forest wood sector.
This keeps jobs in France, mainly in rural areas, since they can not be relocated.
Also, it plays a role in the substitution of materials with high energy consumption or in those that emit high levels of CO2 (concrete, fossil fuels, steel …) with a renewable material that is almost carbon neutral.
So far they have 300 trees and you can donate yours by clicking here.
Why do prices change?
Prices may vary depending on the project.
They include all the necessary activities to ensure that the planting action is prolonged over time, well beyond the seedling phase: technical skills; preparatory materials; planting and protection of seedlings; train the beneficiaries; establishment of tree nurseries at times; general coordination of the project; etc.
Depending on the geographical area and how the project is organized locally, these tasks are valued at different rates and have a different weight in the overall cost.
«By planting a tree you are financing a project in its entirety. In doing so, you are providing the beneficiaries and the planet with a sustainable solution, they share on the webpage.
How many trees should be planted to make up a trip?
According to Trip and Tree, it is difficult to determine the storage capacity of trees because the figures differ according to the type of soil, the climate, the species in question and the environment (agroforestry or forestry).
In addition, measuring this capacity is not an exact science, since to obtain precise figures, the trees and their roots must be destroyed; a practice that goes against the desired objective.
However, studies of some projects reveal carbon storage figures. They range from 100 to 350 kg during the first 10 years in the life cycle of trees.
Therefore, it is logical to take 500 kg of CO2, that is, 0.5 tons of CO2, as a reference for a planted tree (as proposed on our website).
For example: for a return flight Paris-Antananarivo, it is necessary to plant three trees (1.44 / 0.5 = 2.88) … to compensate only the impact of CO2.
Can I follow up?
Once you have donated, A tree for you opens an account in the social network that is automatically linked to that of the plantation partner, the operator in the field and the project group where the trees will be planted.
This means that your planting partner will send you directly news about the project and trees planted for at least three years.
To receive these updates, you simply have to visit your account from time to time.
In addition, the planting of your tree is scheduled 12 months after the donation at the latest.
«For more information, check the work schedules of the projects (on the A TREE FOR YOU website) that you are supporting. You will receive periodic updates on these projects, especially the planting process, through your personal account on our social network «, shares the organization.
A green footprint
Being a socially responsible company is not a simple task. It requires a strong investment in many aspects and a paradigm shift. However, for Air France every effort in this matter is worth it.
That is why the airline wants its footprint and that of its stakeholders to be positive, from when they land until they are in the air.
As part of this effort, Air France has been responsible for being very careful with its environmental impact. To do so, the company committed to implement concrete and sustainable actions that can take care of the planet and, in turn, promote social progress.
«To achieve our objectives of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020, we are acting on several levers: modernize our fleet, improve our operational efficiency and establish a sustainable alternative fuel sector,» they say.
This type of measures and programs such as the «Trip and Tree by Air France», allows extending its commitment to the stakeholders and inviting them to get involved with one or more initiatives, whose objective is to improve the quality of life for the Earth and each one of its inhabitants.
Initiatives like the ones made by Air France also allow you to become an eco-traveler. So the next time you land, don’t forget to plant your tree.
