The Forest A-Team
On the road to ending deforestation, Ecosia gets a lot of help. Our Ambassadors are spreading the word everyday – meanwhile, millions of Ecosia users around the world are showing what is possible when we come together for a cause (1.6 million trees planted and $3.5 million to date!).
Tree planting is a special science, too. It takes environmental scientists, sociologists, and in our case, even entrepreneurs and geographers. In Burkina Faso, it takes co-operation with local communities, who have centuries of knowledge to share about their land and ways of life. And of course, it takes time to grow the trees and help communities care for them for years to come.
This is why Ecosia has been working with tree planting experts at WeForest and OZG (Entrepreneurs without Borders) since January 2015. We're proud to introduce you to the great people there supporting us on the journey to a greener world!
Marie-Noëlle Keijzer – Trees are the new currency
Environmental scientist. Social entrepreneur. Corporate background. Trained Al Gore Climate Reality Corps Ambassador. Marie-Noëlle seems to have done and seen it all, and now she's channeling that knowledge and energy into a social cause. She and the versatile Bill Liao founded WeForest in 2010. They do an impressive job of connecting different teams all over the world to form a network of support in reforesting areas that need it most. Marie-Noëlle poses the interesting question, “Guess how long it would take us to stop global warming if everyone’s internet searches planted trees?”
Anna Roesinger – Showing the impact
Anna is the Director for the German Region at WeForest and a recurring visitor to Ecosia’s headquarters in Berlin. She has become part of the family, working side-by-side with us, sharing meals and important information about the project in Burkina Faso. Anna’s main focus is keeping us close to the work on the ground, helping us to understand and make important decisions about our planting activities. Anna recently shared her photos and stories from WeForest's recent trip to Burkina Faso with us – a great way to start making the project more tangible to both us and the Ecosia Community!
Victoria Guitérrez – Monitoring contributes to long term success
The trees that Ecosia is funding belong to the villagers in Burkina Faso, and their planting, so we hope, will contribute to their empowerment and enrichment. But success needs constant monitoring, and we need to make sure the trees are healthy and that the lives of the affected communities are indeed improved. That’s precisely Victoria’s role: she drafts the reports that help us to accurately monitor our efforts, looking closely at management, development and monitoring of the reforestation projects and the scientific strategies applied to them.
Saydou Kalaga – Listening to the communities
Last but surely not least, the success of Ecosia's tree planting project relies very much on Saydou’s work. Originally from Burkina Faso, Saydou is a sciologist and works as part of WeForest’s local partner team OZG (Entrepreneurs Without Borders), the NGO that executes the entire project. Saydou ensures that everything is up and running on the ground, working closely with all local communities involved, which he visits on a regular basis. He is also responsible for monitoring the socioeconomic impact of the project – so you see how much Ecosia’s success depends on his expertise! Soon, he will also be monitoring the sowing of seeds at some planting sites in early May. But we’ll share more on that when the time comes...
Voilà, that was a snapshot of Ecosia's closest tree planting partners at WeForest and OZG. As usual, we're eager to hear your thoughts and questions below!
Green greetings, Your Ecosia Team
