The Mother’s Forest Project
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| ASEZ WAO is an international volunteer group consisting of young adult workers from 7,800 Church of God locations in 175 countries. |
The Mother’s Forest Project is one of ASEZ WAO's (Church of God Young Adult Worker Volunteer Group) activities to combat climate change. The goal is to prevent desertification and create green forests throughout the world by planting trees with the heart of a mother who takes care of her children. As one of the activities, ASEZ WAO carries out the Planting One Tree per Person Project which encourages people throughout the world to participate in planting one tree. As of October 2021, the campaign had been implemented 24 times in 11 countries and 3,794 trees were planted.
The Purpose of Mother’s Forest Project
In 2011, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification [UNCCD] stated that one-third of the world’s land area is undergoing desertification and that 60,000 ㎢ [6 million ha] of land becomes a desert every year.[1][2] Desertification is a phenomenon in which the productivity of arid regions decreases due to climate change or deforestation and the area becomes a desert. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] warned that climate change would intensify desertification which will threaten the overall ecosystem.[3] If desertification continues, land degradation poses risk to food production and can lead to a sharp increase in hunger and climate refugees. This in turn can lead to political and economic problems and impact the lives of many. This climate concern not only affects parts of Asia and Africa, but also the entire world.[4]
As the need for individual participation and active responses from the international community to prevent desertification is growing, the General Assembly has been held every year since the UNCCD was adopted in Paris, France on June 17, 1994. The purpose of the annual meeting is to review pending issues and look for improvements with the goal of preventing desertification and supporting the affected areas. Citizens and volunteer groups can actively participate in preventing desertification by planting trees. Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Muta Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement and planted 30 million trees throughout Africa. Inspired by her activity, a German boy named Felix Finkbeiner made a resolution to plant one million trees for polar bears that lost their home due to global warming. This inspired him to start the Plant-for-the-Planet Movement. Since its launch in 2007, 15 billion trees have been planted worldwide. Currently, the Trillion Tree Campaign, which aims to plant one trillion trees around the world, is in progress.[5]
ASEZ WAO started the Mother’s Forest Project so that members in 175 countries can make efforts to prevent desertification in their countries.
About the Campaign
ASEZ WAO’s Mother’s Forest Project aims to build green forests throughout the world by encouraging the international community to plant trees with the mind of a mother. In addition, the group takes the lead in saving trees by conserving resources and in protecting trees by preventing pests, removing weeds, and fertilizing them.
Greening the desert by planting trees prevents the loss of soil and water, and creates an environment for living things. When trees absorb carbon dioxide, they store carbon and emit oxygen. They also absorb dust in the air through their leaves. One tree absorbs 2.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide and emits 1.8 tons of oxygen per year, which is equivalent to the amount of oxygen that seven adults need for a year. Also, 1 hectare of forest absorbs 168 kg (370 lb) of air pollutants. Planting trees helps to clean the air and combat global warming.[6]
ASEZ WAO is carrying out the “Planting One Tree per Person” Project through the Mother’s Forest Project by leading every member to plant one tree and all people of the world to participate in planting trees. This mission is carried out with the belief that each person’s small action can change the whole world. The ultimate goal of the Mother’s Forest Project is to plant more than seven billion trees around the world to achieve global greening. Considering that seven pine trees are needed to reduce one metric ton of carbon dioxide, there can be a great impact of reducing one billion tons of carbon dioxide through planting seven billion trees. This project is in line with the SDGs, a collection of common goals that support the global community. Specifically, it aligns with No. 13 (Climate Action), No. 15 (Life on Land), and No. 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Current Activity Status
ASEZ WAO continues to practice the Mother’s Forest Project through regular volunteer services. As of October 2021, volunteers have held the Planting One Tree per Person activity 24 times in 11 countries. These efforts have resulted in 3,794 trees being planted worldwide. The project is introduced on the website, and the opportunity to participate in the activity is given to many communities across national borders.[7]
The group encourages companies to participate in it by holding Mother’s Forest Seminars at their workplaces and promoting joint activities through agreements with governments and public offices. The members in Auckland, New Zealand, held a meeting at Auckland Town Hall in 2020 and signed an MOU with the officials.[8] Since then, ASEZ WAO fulfilled their promise of planting 1,000 native species of trees through regular volunteer services in 2021.[9] The members in Tijuana, Mexico, regularly plant trees in Morelos Park in cooperation with Tijuana City Hall.[10] The local members who planted 65 trees in the streets of Daya District in Taichung, Taiwan, received a certificate of appreciation from the Daya District Executive.[11] In addition, tree-planting activities through “Mother’s Forest” are being carried out in many places around the world, including the U.S., Peru, the Philippines, and India.
See also
- Green Workplace Campaign (Eco-Friendly Activity at Workplaces)
- The No More GPGP Project (Reducing Plastic Use)
- The Heart-to-Heart Project
References
- ↑ "Desertification, Drought Affect One Third of Planet, World's Poorest People, Second Committee Told as It Continues Debate on Sustainable Development". United Nations. November 8, 2012.
- ↑ "Tree planting in deserts and utilization of atomic energy". ETDEWEB.
- ↑ “IPCC special report: Climate Change and Land,” UNEP, August 8, 2019
- ↑ "'DESERTIFICATION IS BOTH A CAUSE AND A CONSEQUENCE OF POVERTY', SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS IN MESSAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL DAY". United Nations. June 12, 2003.
- ↑ "One trillion trees - World Economic Forum launches plan to help nature and the climate". World Economic Forum. January 22, 2020.
- ↑ "Yuhan-Kimberly 2017 Sustainability Report" (PDF). Yuhan-Kimberly.
- ↑ "Signature-Seeking Campaign for Planting One Tree per Person". ASEZ WAO’s Official Website.
- ↑ "Mother's Forest Project for Keeping the Earth Green". ASEZ WAO's Official Website. November 26, 2020.
- ↑ "Young Adult Worker Volunteer Group [ASEZ WAO] Carried Out Volunteer Services in the First Half of 2021". WATV.org. June 6, 2021.
- ↑ “Realiza Simpatt reforestación en parque Morelos con apoyo de la asociación Coreana Grupo ASEZ WAO,” Tijuanotas, February 22, 2021
- ↑ "Taichung, Taiwan's Daya District Chief's Appreciation Letter". WATV AWARD. December 6, 2020.