The quarterly newsletter of Trees for the Future
Spring 2008 Vol. XVI, No. 1
Joining Hands in El Salvador During late January, technicians Joshua Bogart and This project presents a wonderful opportunity to Jeff Follett traveled to El Salvador to meet with the restore habitat along the Sierra Madre corridor while UCRAPROBEX coffee association. Our relationship helping to improve farmers’ lives. By incorporating with UCRAPROBEX began with a business partner- trees into coffee production, farmers provide much ship established with Portland Roasting. more habitat for migrating birds and other animals. In Portland Roasting chose to offset their carbon emis- addition, the trees replenish nutrients, thus restoring sions by planting trees in fields where they source their degraded soils. Farmers benefit from a diverse produccoffee beans. The idea is that farmers benefit from tion system where they can harvest multiple products, trees in their fields, Portland Roasting offsets its car- such as fuel wood, timber, food, and forage. They also bon emissions, and consumers get better quality shade- benefit from higher quality coffee that can garner a grown coffee. higher market price. UCRAPROBEX is an association of 51 regional cofWe look forward to our future endeavors with the fee cooperatives in El Salvador. The association has UCRAPROBEX coffee association and to expanding continually expanded from its founding in 1988. our activities in El Salvador. Today, the association represents 75,000 members whose coffee fields hug the slopes of the Sierra Madre mountain range. The association is focused on providing information and tools for its members to improve their living conditions. This is where Trees for the Future fits in. We provide technical assistance and supply seeds for trees. On January 21, 2008 Josh and Jeff met with Maria Isabel Gutierrez, who is the Marketing Manager at UCRAPROBEX, along with 11 of their 16 regional representatives to discuss the coffee growers’ needs. Almost all of the farmers are small land owners who are trying to improve their coffee production and reduce their costs of production. From our conversations, we learned that the farmers have a specific list of species they would like to plant; they simply need a source for the seeds and a little help in getting UCABPROBEX members picking up seeds and nurseries going. training materials at the recent meetings in El Salvador Page 1 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 1
Johnny Ipil-Seed News is the quarterly newsletter of TREES FOR THE FUTURE, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people of the world’s poorest communities to begin environmentally beneficial, self-help projects. This newsletter is printed by wind energy on recycled paper with soy-based ink and is sent to all supporting members to inform them of recent events, plans, financial matters and how their support is helping people.
Opinion: A Zero Carbon World
TREES has long been a member of ACORE – The American Council on Renewable Energy, and we were asked to relate our experiences and ideas at BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. John R. Moore, Dr. Peter Falk, Mr. Oscar Gruspe, Mr. Dave this year’s International Deppner, Mr. Bedru Sultan, Ms. Marilou Herman, Mr. Franz Renewable Energy Stuppard Conference held in Washington DC March 3-6. ADVISORY COUNCIL The conference was hostDr. Mizani Kristos, West African Development Dr. James Brewbaker, University of Hawaii ed by the U.S. Departments Mr. William Campbell, Seasoned Energy of Agriculture and Energy and was attended by scienMr. Steve McCrea, Global Climate Change, FL tists, field technicians, non-government organizations Dr. Malcolm Novins, George Mason University such as TREES and ministers of energy and natural Dr. Pascal Woldemariam, Greener Ethiopia resources from around the world. President Bush Dr. Noel Vietmeyer, The Vetiver Institute Mr. Sean Griffin, Forestry & GIS Specialist spoke to the Conference on March 5. Mr. Mark Dafforn, National Academy of Sciences In writing this article, I should mention that, as far as Mr. Tebabu Assefa, Advisor on Ethiopia I know, TREES has never planted a tree to offset cliMr. John Leary, Advisor on Senegal mate change. We found other, more pertinent, issues Mr. John Kyle, Advisor on Business Management that, in the minds of our participants, are far more FOUNDERS important: such as having enough to eat and a steady Dave and Grace Deppner supply of drinkable water. Still, we recognize that the trees you help us plant do STAFF take some 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide – the major Gorav Seth “greenhouse gas” – out of the atmosphere each year. Ethan Budiansky Jeff Follett And we are always on the lookout for new ideas, new Maryann Manuel income sources and incentives, to encourage people to Brandy Lellou plant trees. So I was there to relate our experiences Francis Deppner with Jatropha oil and other Bio Fuels, especially in Nathan Dreyfuss Haiti and in Senegal. FIELD TECHNICIANS I hope our members are interested in some of the Louis Nkembi, Cameroon ideas presented. You should be. Like the idea or not, Dr Yigezu Shimeles, Ethiopia with gasoline now more than $3.00 and headed for Jorge Betancourt, Honduras $4.00, we are all involved. Some other reasons offered: Guillermo Valle, Honduras By 2030, 22 years from now, the world population Subramanian Periyasamy, India Sagapala Gangisetty, India will be 7.5 Billion people. Most of that growth will be Mohammed Traore, Mali in countries with little or no reserves of fossil fuels. As Gabby Mondragon, N. Philippines economies continue to develop, more of the world’s Dr. Ron Soriano, S. Philippines population will have cars, refrigerators and many of Omar Ndao, Senegal the other things that increase carbon emissions. To receive this newsletter or for more information, contact: As reserves of fossil fuels continue to fall, and enerTREES FOR THE FUTURE gy needs increase, security becomes an increasingly The Loret Miller Ruppe Center for important issues. A point could be made that right now, Sustainable Development a war over oil is taking place. P.O. Box 7027 Silver Spring, MD 20907 Last fall, our “E-Blast” informed you there were 368 Toll Free: 1-800-643-0001 Ph: 301-565-0630 info@treesftf.org ppm of carbon in the atmosphere. Over these few short Page 2 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 1
months it has risen to 382 ppm. It seems there is no expectation that we could prevent this from happening and from bringing about an increase in average temperatures by about 2 degrees C. These very worrisome statements are projections – a look into the future – and it should be pointed out that such projections are seldom fulfilled, because the future is determined by doers and people with a vision and with ideas. Let’s look at some things that are, in fact happening right now that, if continued, might make our future look far brighter: • The total investment in renewable energy has grown: $33 billion in 2005, $52 Billion in 2006, and $66 Billion in 2007. By sector: • Solar is the fastest-growing renewable energy with a 50% increase in investment in both 2006 and 2007. That’s the equivalent of 1.5 million homes with rooftop photo-voltaic feeding the world grid. •Wind Power is the largest sector with a 28% increase in 2007. This is now annually producing 95 gigawatts of electricity. •A very promising sector is Geo-Thermal. If only 1% of this could be tapped, it would be 500 times all of the gas and oil reserves in the world. •Water Power, including both hydro-and tidal- has been an important source of energy for thousands of years. It now supplies power to 28 million consumers. •If we covered all of our farm land with winter cover crops, the carbon dioxide this alone would sequester would offset all of the emissions from US automobiles!
TREES insists that projects to sequester carbon, to produce friendly bio-fuels, must be sustainable. Not only from an environmental viewpoint but also economically, socially and culturally. These developing communities have long suffered, not just from the introduction of unusable, impractical technology, but even more from the economic effects of rising energy costs. The people there can’t afford any more bad planning and they certainly can’t afford to be ripped off any longer by multi-laterals who are so concerned about maximizing profits that they can’t think of the welfare of the people – and the natural resources – that make those profits possible. Fortunately, the majority of people considering such ventures well understand that if their projects are not sustainable they, and their investments will quickly come to an end. They’re asking TREES for our input, for our ideas to make sure these programs bring important benefit to all who are involved, as well as to the environment. About Sustainability: This was a key word throughout the conference. Governments and industry leaders were promising tos pend billions of dollars to develop markets and to improve processing technology, all for the purpose of developing sustainable supplies of non-fossil fuels. Yet virtually nothing was said about assuring a sustainable supply of feedstock for making the fuel. How can you maintain a dynamic, rapidly changing industry without being sure you will have a sustainable supply of energy? Nobody is paying attention to the situation of the land and the people from where the energy originates. Do these industry leaders imagine that all the feedstock will be produced in the US? Can the US solve, sustainably, its growing energy needs at home? Did anybody notice what happened when industry decided to turn corn into ethanol as an alternative fuel. Can we do it abroad without developing sustainable systems there? Using Haiti as an example, the bio-fuel industry wants to produce Jatropha oil in Haiti. They want to produce it on degraded lands, of which Haiti has an abundant supply. Yet 85% of Haiti’s food supply is imported, and they import 100% of their fuel needs. Is that sustainable? With your help, we plant trees that benefit both people and the environment. Every day more of these groups are seeing the wisdom of that.
Over these past three years, we have changed from a world of dreamers to a world of doers. We could foresee a human and ecological disaster taking place over the next 20 years but, based on the successes so far achieved, we can also see a ZERO-CARBON WORLD! Still so much to be done. As we see it at TREES. There is great emphasis on the demand side, the marketing side of the issue but far too little attention paid to the supply side. The projects envisioned depend on the willing participation of people – not just in the US but all around the world, and especially in the developing nations. That’s why our presentations were well attended. Page 3
Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 1
Haiti: Our Toughest, but Most Important, Program In the past few months, our program in Haiti has grown exponentially. Following a fact-finding and networking trip in Haiti by TREES in August 2007, TREES Africa Coordinator Ethan Budiansky returned to Haiti in January to further develop our program Ethan was accompanied by Dave Deppner for the first few days, and over the course of two weeks, they made great strides in getting trees planted, people trained and motivated, and establishing the foundation for a sustainable TREES program in Haiti. Throughout the trip, Ethan had the opportunity to meet with numerous motivated farmers, community groups, NGOs, and politicians all interested in revitalizing Haiti’s degraded environment. He facilitated a training on tree nurseries in which 40 people representing three different organizations participated. He also disseminated large amounts of seeds and technical materials to interested people. At this point TREES has around twenty different tree nurseries established throughout Haiti. One of the primary goals of the trip was to begin hiring local coordinators to work with communities and organizations to design, implement, and maintain agroforestry projects. BERNABE ALI IASSIE is working
primarily in Leogane, but is also visiting many projects throughout Haiti and assisting them in their endeavors. As this article is being written, Ali is heading to Bethel and Arcahaie to assist the different community organizations develop their tree nurseries. In addition, Ethan is working in collaboration with JENSEN AUGUST, director of HOPE (Haitians Overcoming Poverty Everyday), which is based in Lowell, MA. Jensen is currently doing research on the use of Jatropha curcas for use as a sustainable biodiesel. He will prove to be a great asset as TREES considers the potential for engaging in biodiesel development in Haiti. With HOPE, we are currently planting large amounts of Jatropha in Leogane. We’re hoping by the end of this year we will have planted half a million trees which will conserve the soil, provide sustainable charcoal, food and biodiesel. Ethan is returning to Haiti with Haiti Advisor, Franz Stuppard, in April. They will follow-up on a lot of our projects, partner with more communities and organizations, and look to hire more coordinators. TREES is also planning on establishing a Trees for the Future office in a central location outside of Port au Prince, likely in Arcahaie.
Trees Technician Ethan Budiansky and Jensen Auguste of HOPE at a Community Meeting in Arcahaie
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Linking Haitian Roots Overseas When you think of Haiti,the odds are that nothing positive comes to mind, but it should not be so. Many of us, native Sons and Daughters of Haiti are doing exceptionally well overseas, be it in the United States, Canada, Western Europe and elsewhere. There is no question every coin has two sides, therefore, if you focus only on the negative, that’s all you will ever see; however, if you consistently accentuate the positive you can change the world. Haiti, as a lesser developed country with a relatively good educational system pro- A workshop sponsored by TREES brought representatives of 16 communiduced a lot of “Hommes et Femmes ty organizations plus local technicians offering their talents Eclairés”. Due to a weak socio-economic and political system, most of Haiti’s best and brightest are living overseas. Since home is home, we are ensuring Haiti is not totally bankrupt. We send money regularly to our family and friends. We organize, support and participate in all types of charitable activities. We would like to invest more in profitable businesses in Haiti, but the environment is not yet ready for us, as a result our potential to assist the country is minimized. I was in the same boat: wanting to do so much, but unable to find a path permitting me to empower my home country. So, I decided I needed to address some of the core problems afflicting Haiti. Currently, I am a board member and Haiti advisor for Trees for the Future. I along with many other Haitians see TREES as an ideal avenue to help improve the country left behind. Lately, we have been in touch with many local Haitians, Haitian-American and Canadian organizations. We are developing a Haitian community to support our efforts in the country. We feel the only chance for our work in Haiti, and the only chance for Haiti itself, is for people living abroad to become re-invested in their homecountry. Whether it is through TREES or many of the other organizations which exist for the benefit of Haiti, we must accentuate the positive side of the Haitian coin. By: Franz N. Stuppard and Ethan Budiansky
Ethan meeting the mayor of Verrettes
A hillside in Haiti that has been degraded by deforestation, overgrazing, and erosion. Planting fastgrowing multipurpose trees can heal this land.
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Media and Education In this issue, we take the opportunity to introduce two of the newest members of our staff. TEBABU ASSEFA has worked with us for several years as an advisor. Now he has joined the staff as our regional coordinator for the East Africa program. Because he has extensive training, including a degree, in media production, Tebabu has taken on the additional assignment of developing documentaries and training films so we can bring our program to developing communities worldwide. Tebabu recently spent a month in his homeland – Ethiopia – seeing the program there in action and developing new contacts and local partners in many parts of the country. While there, used the video camera to good advantage, with more than 20 CD’s of good viewing, all the way from Gonder in the north to Awasa in the south, and through much of the Rift Valley – places where we’re working now or hope to soon begin. With that, he is encouraging groups in Kenya, Tanzania and elsewhere to start planting trees. JENNIFER CARTER, from nearby Takoma Park, has also Tebabu (left) and Bedru Sultan creating a come aboard. She has worked with Peace Corps projects, environmental education programs in local schools, and with commu- documentary about TREES’ work in Ethiopia nity organizations overseas as well as locally, to develop projects that make people more aware of what is happening to our environment – and what can be done about it. She comes to us at a most opportune time as we now see the opportunity to re-start the TREE PALS program that was so very successful in the mid-1990’s. Jennifer has already started her program with schools here in suburban Washington DC – and already has children cleaning up the Anacostia River and getting ready to plant trees along its river banks. In a few weeks she will he traveling to schools in East Africa to set up a partnership between US schools and those in the Developing World. She is already gaining wide support and encouragement and, by the time US schools open next September, we envision a rapidly growing global program. Putting all this talent together gives TREES an excellent opportunity to get beneficial technology to many more communities where people, and the environment, desperately need it.
Jennifer planting trees with a Westbrook Elementary student
In this issue, we invite both of them to tell a bit about what they hope this work can achieve. Your comments/ideas/experiences, will be gratefully received.
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Brief Updates From Our Projects Beginnings in Burundi Ethan is working with Mr. Jean Bosco to establish a training center, demonstration site, and community for hope in Burundi. Escaping the country during a period of civil unrest, Jean recently returned with a hope and a dream that through the planting of trees, among other activities, he can bring new hope and a sense of community back to an impoverished nation. Ethan helped Jean develop his project while still here in the U.S. Jean left for Burundi with a good understanding of agroforestry and a carton full of tree seeds. Ethan intends to visit Jean’s project and hold some trainings later this year. Expanding in Cameroon! Last year, Louis Nkembi recently became a local coordinator for TREES. Since then, he has continued working with numerous local Jane Coe, Ethan, and Jean Bosco at the Ruppe Center communities to establish tree nurseries and two fruit trees which will be used for juices as part of plant trees. With our support, Louis is expanding his the school lunch program to provide vitamins needed work through three provinces in Cameroon, the West, in children’s diets, two species of nitrogen fixing South West, and North West. He will be working with legumes which will provide green manure and mulch twenty-one different non-profit organizations in each for school gardens as well as fuelwood for cooking the of the different communities. We intend to plant more meals, two ornamentals for community beautification, than half a million trees this season in Cameroon. and, the “miracle tree” Moringa oleifera, whose leaves are high in folic acid, protein, and essential vitamins, Agroforestry Training Program Grads in Nepal and therefore can be used to counteract the anemia and Quite a few graduates of our agroforestry training prormalnutrition which is rampant in many parts of rural gram have come from the Institute of Forestry in Honduras. Pokhara, Nepal. One recent graduate, Shankar This is the first year that we are providing large quanAdhikari, is starting a small project in his home village, tities of seed to this program. We are planning on using which is working on producing fodder, fuelwood, and this year as a time to provide training to the Healthy improving the agricultural productivity through agroSchool promoters and teachers, so that next year we forestry. We hope that this will lead to a long lasting can work with the groups who show exceptional interinvolvement in this community. est and ability to create forest gardens and to expand the program to beyond the schools. Honduras: The Healthy Schools Program This coming month Trees for the Future will distribute Honduras: INADES and Aldea Global seed with the Honduran Healthy Schools program and This past month Trees for the Future has formed a our local partner Fundarbol. We will be distributing cooperative alliance with two local NGO’s INADES enough seed to grow 100 trees at each of the 2,476 (National institute for Sustainable growth) and Aldea schools that is participating in the program, for a total Global (global village). We will be providing them of about 247,000 trees. These schools are located in the with technical training and seeds and in return we will poorest communities of the country and are spread be able to access their impressive network of local over 17 of the 18 Honduran states. environmental promoters, and their local knowledge. Each school will receive 5 species of trees; including Page 7 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 1
Trees in Senegal As news of the success of our Senegal program reaches the many corners of the world, we are constantly asked how this effort can be replicated. Many ask the question as if through some magical copy-paste, we can pick up a project cookie cutter and create an instant success someplace else. This isn't quite possible possible but we can make a number of suggestions, the most important being focus on the people. Trees for the Future helps communities to reforest degraded lands. This has always been our focus and, as much as we would like to run out of places to work, the world will never have a shortage of degraded land and poor people. And though our target is to plant trees, much of our success, in Senegal and elsewhere, comes from the fact that our emphasis has always been on the people. People are the reason we do what we do, and people, not the trees, are what will enable us to combat the demise of the world's environment. So when people come to us seeking help with tree planting projects, we first want to find out about the community. The key is being responsive to local people's needs and then, throughout the life of the project, keep people at the forefront. Omar, TREES' Field Coordinator in Senegal, is an agroforestry expert with a passion for trees and a skill for communicating with people. Using his 'contagious enthusiasm' as a tool, Omar knows that the program will continue to grow and more communities will join if the program continues to meet their needs – especially their need for food, fuel and income. The key to success is happening now. Now is the time that Omar, his assistant Abdou, and several volunteers work tirelessly to get as much face-to-face time as possible with the people who are asking for our help. Thousands of residents in the project zone are currently making their plans for the coming rainy season, and the key to success lies greatly in being able to meet with as many people as possible - village chiefs, community leaders, heads of women's and youth groups, farming associations, government offices, local NGOs, schools and lots and lots of individual
farmers. We first created the agroforestry training center so that villages throughout the department can have a focal point to receive training. With Abdou and a few volunteers manning the agroforestry training center and meeting with dozens of visitors every day, Omar's priority now is to hit the pavement and expand the program. By horse, by donkey cart, by car and hanging on the back of motorcycles, Omar has traveled to countless villages and small towns within a couple hours in each direction. He has expanded his 'footprint' to reach five hours north to the capital, four hours west to the ocean, five hours east to Tamba and three hours traveling time south into the Gambia. As we write this article, he is with Ethan Budiansky on a trip east to expand our efforts in the neighboring regions. The efforts of Trees for the Future have reached the ears of the President and he has sent people to visit and learn. Peace Corps has dedicated six additional volunteers to the program. The impact of tree planting in Senegal this year will be tremendous. With the nonfood crop biofuels, the fruit trees and the agoforestry initiatives, we will easily plant more than a million trees this year, but we don't forget that the focus is on the people who are simultaneously the reason why we do it and the reason for our success.
Field training session with Peace Corps
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Trees in Brazil As we mentioned in our February e-newsletter, TREES is developing projects in northeastern Brazil. This program is designed to reforest the Ceará region of Brazil, and a significant portion of this initiative will be aimed at developing local capacity in agroforestry techniques to provide sustainable production of fuel wood as well as to reclaim degraded land. The fragile landscape of this region has suffered due to increasing human pressure. An otherwise extended and difficult dry season has been exacerbated by overgrazing and excessive fuel wood harvest. Unsustainable biomass extraction for fuel wood has destroyed more than 80% of the forests in Ceará and greatly increased the prevalence of desertification. Rural populations are suffering from poverty and malnutrition, which leads to greater ecological damage and eventually to immigration to the region’s capital, Fortaleza.
Ceará has a population of 8.6 million people and is considered one of the poorest and least developed states in the country. Of the country’s 27 states, Ceará ranks 23rd in per capita GDP. The rural population is 48% of the state’s total population with 79% participating in agricultural activities. The state has been plagued by low productivity in agriculture due to “periodic severe droughts, poor soils, skewed land distribution, low levels of education, high levels of poverty and underemployment, and limited physical and social infrastructure.” Unlike many development projects in Brazil, our focus is not on the Amazon rainforest. Although protecting the rainforest is important, we feel that we can make a greater difference in a part of Brazil that has not received its due attention in recent years. Thank you in advance for your support of our work in northeastern Brazil.
Introducing Jeff Follett Jeff Follett, our new South America Program Coordinator, was a non-formal education Peace Corps volunteer in Suriname from 2002 through 2004. While in Suriname, he worked with the InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture, and local NGOs to expand access to agricultural materials in the country. He also found time to enjoy spectacular food, chat with people from a variety of cultures, and take in some amazing scenery. In addition he gained an appreciation for the difficulties facing small-scale farmers in developing countries. After Peace Corps, Jeff worked as a painter to raise enough money to travel South America for three months. Working at construction sites not only proJeff checking out a nursery in Honduras vided an income, but it also provided a different view of environmentalism. It turns out that not everybody is a tree-hugger; always good to keep in mind. Jeff’s love of South America stems from his time bussing around the continent. Shortly after returning from his travels, Jeff started a dual master’s degree in International Affairs and Natural Resources Management. By combining class time in Washington, D.C. and Costa Rica, the program provided a unique opportunity to examine natural resources management issues from both a developed and developing country perspective. While in Costa Rica, he worked with a national organization to evaluate the success of the Payment for Environmental Services program. Jeff will be coordinating Trees for the Future’s efforts in South America. His interest in TREES stems from the organization’s focus on building local capacity to solve problems. He looks forward to the opportunity to visit with people in South America to discuss ways to address rural poverty and environmental degradation. Page 9 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 1
Update From Indonesia Kay Howe recently returned from a month visit to ketable products and will work with several members Indonesia where she visited Friends of the National of the staff on this project. TNTP is a UNESCO Man Parks Foundation (FNPF) in Tanjung Puting National and Biosphere Reserve. The development of a buffer Park (TNTP), south central Kalimantan. Kay volun- zone around the park using a model like Jerumbun will teered for a year with this small Indonesian non-profit help preserve the land while providing an income for and can attest to the amazing work they continue to do area residents. in reforestation, habitat preservation, wildlife conserHowever, the FNPF reforestation team is facing a vation, and community development. financial crisis. A small grant has been found that will From October to December 2007, FNPF reforestation keep the crew funded through March or possibly April staff planted 100 hectares of 300-hectare reforestation but other funding is needed to keep this important work site located in the park in an area called Beguruh. Over going. $50,000 will provide the yearly funding needed 30,000 seedlings of thirty different tree species, indige- for these projects and FNPF’s team of highly trained nous to the park and grown in on-site nurseries, were foresters to continue their work. FNPF projects are the planted and will provide future habitat for wildlife, only projects of this type in and around TNTP and they including orangutans, gibbon apes and sun bears. have exceptional success rates. We hope a partnership In addition to Beguruh, the 15 members of FNPF’s can be developed with FNPF and Trees for the Future reforestation staff continues to work in the local com- to support the continuation of this work and set a new munities, developing agro-forestry and agriculture course for reforestation in Kalimantan. models that promote forest preservation and viable methods for economic income for local villagers. The FNPF Demonstration Plot in the small village across the Sekonyer River from the park now has 10,000 seedlings ready for villagers to plant. Seedlings include traditional medicine plants and trees that will produce harvestable by-products. The plot, an agricultural model for deforested lowland, peat swamp areas, produces organic produce and fruit. Last October the reforestation staff, who are local community members, bought 21 hectares of land up the Sekonyer River and across from the park in an area called Jerumbun. The land, purchased to keep it from being developed by palm oil plantations, is higher, similar to Beguruh. Some small areas of forest remain but the degraded land is mostly comprised of alang-alang grasslands that develop after forest harvesting. Jerumbun can be used as a model for agroforestry and forest gardens that will promote biodiversity and wildlife habitat. Kay discussed with staff the potenFNPF Nursery in Kalimantan tial for including medicinal plants and honey production for marPage 10 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 1
ANNUAL REPORT The year began, and ended, in an unexpected place: Europe: Grace and Dave traveled there at the beginning of the year to meet Dr. Reinhart Hittich who, through his Greenpower Program, provided a grant to plant more than two million trees in five developing countries. While this was happening, respected scientists in the field of climate change met first in Paris and later in Brussels to determine the extent of this global threat, the possibilities for addressing it, and finding ways to reduce/ mitigate atmospheric carbon levels. They concluded that the world has, at best, ten years – more likely six years, to find and implement programs that can bring about significant improvement: otherwise, the world is likely to see a massive natural calamity. This presented a sense of urgency to expand our program – and encourage other organizations to initiate efforts of their own – that has largely guided our activities through 2007 and onward. The year ended with Dave attending the “After Bali” Conference at the European Union Parliament in Brussels, where he explained to delegates how the program of TREES produces cost-effective benefits to both participants and supporters while removing significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. While there, he met our new partners, including the Institute of Environmental Security in The Hague, where we are contributing to the design and implementation of future projects that bring even more benefit to the communities we serve. New technology is being introduced. We are learning more about the integration of “bio-fuels” into the concept of agro-forestry because this brings far greater benefit to the participating families, to the environment, and to the climate by reduciing carbon emissions while removing carbon from the atmosphere, converting it into shelter, food and other products necessary to these developing communities. This concept brings important and sustainable income to the participating communities, also strengthening local institutions so that future projects will continue to expand outward so that large, integrated, areas of land such as entire watersheds can be both restored and sustainably maintained for the benefit of the larger community. One such example is being developed in Ethiopia where, in the Guraghe Zone, TREES and our local partners, GREENER ETHIOPIA and HARMONY
FARMS, worked to help local families plant more than 2.5 million trees, probably the single largest private reforestation in the world, in 2007. This project gained the attention of the United Nations Program To Plant a Billion Trees , encouraging other groups to initiate such programs. It also gained the attention of the President of Ethiopia, who invited the three organizations to his office for a working discussion for how to nationalize this program, especially to assure the restoration and sustainable maintenance of watersheds of the Gibe and Omo Rivers where Ethiopia plans to produce hydroelectric power for export. President Girma, himself a dedicated environmentalist, well recognizes that many hydro-electric projects have failed because the implementation plan did not recognize the all important need to maintain tree cover. Program Growth: The available funding increased rapidly in 2007, nearly doubling the income of the preceding year. This permitted the hiring of more local technicians and expansion of programs into new countries, including Indonesia, Tanzania, Burundi, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Programs were significantly increased in many other countries including Uganda, the Philippines, and India. New staff technicians were hired and trained. An entirely new program has been started for South America. Much of this expansion can be contributed to the website, which is gaining many new members as concern about the environment increases. The site is now getting more than a thousand visits per day and has, over the past two years, brought to TREES more than 6,000 new members as well as new businesses. By year’s end, TREES had gained more than 80 supporting businesses. During this year, TREES printed and distributed some 300 copies of our agro-forestry training manual to community leaders around the world. We are developing additional technical publications about the concept of the “Forest Garden” and specific to various by-products of reforestation, including a beekeepers’ manual and, in the near future, about bio-fuels that can be produced through agro-forestry. We are also planning a manual about intensive forage production since poor management of grazing animals has become one of the greatest causes of forest destruction.
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The result has been the planting of more than 7,650,000 trees, in 71 countries, involving the participation of some 47,000 families, restoring sustainable productivity to over 4,500 hectares (11,200 acres) of degraded, abandoned, land. A Look Ahead: The Ethiopia program, now expanding into four new regions, requires a training center (now under construction) to be operated by the local partners which will, among other activities, initiate a program to reforest the watershed of a major river, the Wabe, in order to prove that reforestation can address what has now become the most serious issue in the Developing World: a rapidly growing shortage of potable water. This project, over three years, will reforest more than 7,800 hectares of extremely degraded land and the sustainable harvest of this forest will produce annual income of some $250,000 to bring badly needed schools, clinics and water wells to this community. A Board Member of TREES, Bedru Sultan, has been contributing months of his life to making sure this vital program grows. The very successful TREE PALS program of the 1990’s is being rebuilt by our newest staff member, Jennifer Carter, with initial participation of some 25 schools, half of them overseas. Educational materials
for students, grades 5-8, are being developed and Jennifer will gratefully receive help in their development. Tebabu Assefa has joined the staff assisting the East Africa Program and his media expertise in development of documentaries will be most useful as our program concentrates more on providing long-distance technical training to a growing number of communities we might otherwise be unable to reach. Thanks to the growing number of grants from environmentally-concerned businesses, especially to G.A.P. Tourism in Canada and Nature’s Grilling Products in Colorado, Jeff Follett is our new coordinator of programs in South America, including Panama, and expanding our efforts in Haiti, where the need is critical and something TREES can’t ignore. This effort , under the leadership of staff technician Ethan Budiansky is also gaining important assistance from Board Member Franz Stuppard. On behalf of the staff, thank all of you for your most generous help. You’re bringing great benefit to people who really need your help.
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Dave and Grace Deppner, Founders
TREES FOR THE FUTURE, INC. Preliminary Financial Report – 2007 Income, By Sources: Donations by Individuals Gifts from Businesses Foundation Grants Other (interest) TOTAL INCOME
$384,139 397,450 135,632 5,029 $922,250
Expenses, by Category:
Project-Related
Administrative
Total
Salaries & Consulting Salaries Consulting Fees Health Insurance SSS and SUTA Other Benefit Subtotal:
$125,458 27,048 10,504 10,026 2,370
$59,482 11,592 4,548 4,318 1,016
$184,940 36,640 15,052 10,026 3,386 $254,412
International Program: Project Materials On-Site Expenses International Travel Website Phone/Internet Subtotal:
$28,917 163,585 18,420 8,440 1,637
Public Information: Postage/Fees Print & Publish Travel & Representation Website Phone & Internet Subtotal:
$17,556 14,833 19,966 7,880 2,825
$ 7,524 6,357 8,553 3,285 1,211
$25,080 21,190 28,519 11,164 4,036 $90,400
Office Management: Office Supplies Equipment Maint/Purch Accounting Insurance Postal Charges Bank/Credit Charges Permits/Licenses/Dues Local Travel Print/Publish Phone/Internet Subtotal
$9,911 5,639 1,750 1,360 950 774 649 840 183 116
$4,250 2,417 750 584 405 333 292 360 79 50
$14,161 8,056 2,500 1,944 1,355 1,107 941 1,200 262 166 $39,072
$ 28,917 163,585 18,420 8,440 1,637 $220,999
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Building Management: Debt Service (mortgage) Property Taxes Building Repairs Capital Improvements Utilities Subtotal
$10,130 3,690 6.443 4,234 2,863
Fundraising: Advertisement Website Maintenance Phone/Internet Travel/Representation Subtotal TOTALS
$510,244
Project-Related
77.72%
Fundraising
2.81%
Administrative
19.47%
$4,342 1,582 2,762 1,801 1,225
$14,472 5,272 9,205 6,035 4,088 $39,072
$210 $8,521 $2,460 $7,433
$210 8,521 2,460 7,433 $18,634
$147,650
$657,794
Page 14 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 1
OUR GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TEN CENTS WILL PLANT A TREE! That’s what people we serve with respect and dignity. we’ve been saying for the past 4-5 years. It’s true. And c) Every tree in this program is planted to bring fast, it has attracted many people and other organizations to important, and sustained benefit to the participants. our program. In that time, our membership has nearly We design programs to meet their hopes and needs. tripled and the number of trees planted each year has d) We never establish targets, goals nor deadlines. As increased nearly four fold. far as we’re concerned our projects don’t end: they It has also attracted the attention of many people and keep spreading from one community to the next organizations concerned about climate change – while we spend a great deal of effort training local including those seeking to market “carbon credits” leaders and strengthening local institutions from planting trees because this offers people a way to e) Finally (and this is why I’m writing) we do what all both prevent carbon from entering the atmosphere of us learned long ago in Peace Corps: find underwhile also removing carbon already there. used local resources and put them to work in the Each year, each tree you help us plant removes more program because, after all, it is their land, their than 50 lbs. of carbon dioxide. These trees – your trees friends and neighbors, and their community. - are planted where they are most needed, in the We call this the global partnership – our partners all world’s developing villages which are mostly in more around the world who provide ideas, guidance, local tropical areas where they grow faster and therefore contacts and, above all, materials and other support take far more carbon out of the atmosphere. that go directly to the people in the projects. Without So the “carbon club” (we are NOT a member) sees these partners, there’s no way we could assist the that TREES can build a mechanism (40 trees) which growing number of communities in your program. annually removes one ton of CO-2 at a very low cost, But lately, we haven’t been doing very well by these converting it into food, shelter, animal forage and, special friends. Much of the fault is ours. The reason is most important, organic fertilizer – and can also pro- that we have been so involved with developing our duce organic fuel and solar energy. program that we’ve forgotten to take a good look at the How did we arrive at the ten cents/tree? We combine global economy, which shows that our own economic the reports from project leaders, the participants in the standing in the world has slipped considerably of late. projects, our technicians and staff working at project It is 2008 and we’re trying to build programs with dolsites around the world. It also includes the projected lars which are, of late, worth about 60 cents of what results from trees planted through project packages we they were in 2004. send to hundreds of villages worldwide at their The declining value of the dollar affects our staff as request. From all of this we make a conservative esti- well. Hotel costs are about double, and taxi and bus mate of all the trees the program planted in the year. fares have jumped almost as much. Dividing this into our total expenses determines the Despite our concerns, we pledge to continue developcost per tree planted. In 2007 the cost was more like ing the best projects possible, planting trees as costnine cents, but we can’t keep that up - the reason I’m effectively as we can. The bright side is that our projwriting this to you: ects keep getting larger and there is a certain economy First, you should know why we can plant trees at such of scale that keeps us cost-effective. a low cost in our program. Here are several reasons: But in all probability, we can no longer plant ten trees a) We work mostly in developing countries of the for a Dollar. How much the cost will go up is what we humid tropics where people well understand how don’t know. Starting about the time you receive this much they need trees and are volunteering their newsletter, we will be saying “we plant a tree for less labor and a portion of their precious land to plant than fifteen cents”. How much less? Probably a good and manage them. bit less but, halfway through this planting season, we b) Our primary advantages are credibility and a great don’t really know. So, please keep believing that we deal of experience in extension methodology. We are using the funding you so generously provide as learned through many years of dedicated assis- carefully and cost-effectively as we possibly can. tance, through many painful (often embarrassing) mistakes, and by treating the Page 15 Johnny Ipil-Seed News Vol. XVI, No. 1
Thanks
Inside
Thank you all. This past year has been tremendously successful and that’s because you, our members, made it all possible through your generosity. We especially want to thank the following kind people: Dr. Reinard Hittich, C. Minor Barringer, Earthways Foundation, GreenDimes, Inc., Kohlberg Foundation, Nancy King, Watersheds Foundation, Moore Family Foundation, Nature Grilling Products, Love Heals, Garry Trudeau and Jane Pauley, TV Guide, Yoko Ono Lennon, Louise Mauran, Wayne Richards, Flow Yoga Center, Atkinson Foundation, Bertram Risch, Hope Mauran, Jade Industries, Ronald Crosier, Philip Andrye, Next Generation Consulting, ODE Magazine, Karmapalooza Inc, Omega Institute, David Leithauser, Rock the Earth, Working Assets, Mark Dundon, Music Matters, Inc., Better World Fund, New England BioLabs, Charles Delmar Foundation, Barrington Communications, Charles and Kimberly Wheatley IV, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Centura Brands, Cruz Bay Publishing, Cloud 9 Adventures, Yoga Tree, San Francisco, ZAP, Network for Good, Power & Twersky, John & Helen Tryon, DeborahVan Vechten, Bridges Produce, Alexander Book Co., This Next Inc., Don Cameron, Glickenhouse Foundation, Louise A. Maddox Trust, American Society of Interior Designers, Barbara Albert, Miriam Jencks, Michael McConnell, Harry McAndrew, Margaret Jacoby, Medora Wilson, Moska Yoga Center – and so many other good friends.
p. 1 El Salvador p. 2 Opinion p. 4 Haiti p.6 Media and Education p. 7 Brief Updates p. 8 Senegal p. 9 Brazil, Introducing Jeff Follett p. 10 Indonesia p. 11 Annual Report p. 15 Global Partnership
Spring Events Look for Trees for the Future on the National Mall for Earth Day 2008. Stop by and visit the Trees for the Future booth at the Specialty Coffee Association of America Conference in Minneapolis, MN from May 3rd through May 5th.
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