Every year during the month of March we celebrate Giving Green and support a local environmental nonprofit organization. This year we're introducing a new product -our Native Tree Bandana- that serves as a field guide for your outdoor adventures and donates back to SOUL (Sustaining Our Urban Landscape) on an ongoing basis. SOUL's mission is to drive a resilient and environmentally equitable New Orleans by reforesting our urban landscape.
Its commonly known that trees, like all plants, convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and thus help mitigate the effects of climate change. And since cities tend to produce more pollution than rural areas, the Forest Service Chief even goes as far to say that "urban trees are the hardest working trees in America."
In 2012, the U.S. Forest Service researched the deforestation in 20 cities in the United States. Of those 20 cities, New Orleans was in the TOP THREE for greatest percentage of annual tree cover loss. This was most likely due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, where it was estimated we lost over 50,000 trees.
Founded in 2016, SOUL organizes tree plantings in neighborhoods across the city to reforest New Orleans and bring back those environmental benefits. We love that they use only native tree species which are more resistant to disease, resilient against flooding and storms, and provide better homes for local wildlife.
Interested in volunteering your time and sweat to the cause? Employees from Tchoup Industries will be joining the upcoming Saturday, March 14th SOUL tree planting and we'd love to see you there! Sign up via their website here.
You can also support them with a purchase of our Native Tree Bandana!
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