Cool Website of the Day ~ Alliance for International Reforestation

Cool Website of the Day ~ Alliancefor International Reforestation

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Chinese Proverb

I read a lot of books - about 150 to 250 per year and even though many of them have already been read by numerous people, I sometimes feel sad about all of the trees killed to create them. I send almost all of my books on to other friends who want to read them, so they aren't just sitting on my shelf, but I still feel guilty. Recently, there was an article published on Gather about a group willing to help me assuage my guilt feelings about buying books printed on paper. The company that was featured was a for profit company that would take my $10, send me 13 stickers to place in books saying I'd planted a tree to replace the paper in the book, take a cut of my money, and pass on a bit of it to one or all three of the organizations they support (all non-profits) who work to reforest the planet. I was supposed to feel better that a tree was planted for each $1 I spent, and tell the world about it with the stickers placed in my books. In doing my due diligence research, I found that all three of the organizations, Alliance for International Reforestation, among them, accept donations directly from their websites and do a lot more with my money than would have happened by going through a middle man. I decided that all of the three groups are doing a fantastic job and that they all deserve my donations, so I'll give to each of them in turn. Alliance for International Reforestation is the first one getting my funds.

"The Alliance for International Reforestation, Inc. or AIR, is a non-profit organization working to make a difference for the people of Guatemala and Nicaragua. AIR plants trees, establishes tree nurseries, provides environmental education for teachers and farmers, digs wells, builds fuel-efficient brick ovens, and helps to educate everyone about the environmental challenges facing Central America.

All paid staff for AIR, Inc. are natives of Guatemala, trained in Agro-Forestry and dedicated to improving the lives of the rural poor, and to planting trees!

The U.S. Headquarters for AIR, Inc. are based at Stetson University, DeLand, Florida.

Since 1993, AIR has trained over 1,500 Guatemalan farmers, constructed over 700 fuel-efficient stoves, and planted almost 3 million trees!"


SITE NAVIGATION/DONATING

The site is very basic with a pages to show their history, activities, photos, archives that include tax reports, and a page to support with a donation. Although the site used to list how many trees they could plant with each donation, it no longer includes that information. At the time I donated (Arbor Day), they said they planted about 300 trees per $25 donated, which was much more than would have gotten planted by me going through the middle man. I just printed up my own stickers to indicate that a tree was planted for the book, giving the organization's name and website.


BILLING

There was a simple webform that collected my credit card info which was processed quickly and I received confirmation email. I could have donated by sending a check, but I need all of the instant gratification I can get.


WHAT I LIKE

Alliance for International Reforestation was begun as an educational/research project and works with a small budget using local talent to make a big difference in the lives of people on a one on one basis.


WHAT I DON'T LIKE

This is where I usually find some picky little thing to rant about, but the only thing that comes to mind is that the work is vital, the budget is small and they don't spend a lot of time drumming up support or getting name recognition. So I guess I'll take on that role in a small way.


FINAL RECOMMENDATION

Whether you have guilt feelings like me or not is up to you, but knowing that there is a responsible group helping people reforest their area and farm in a sustainable way makes me feel better. Giving to Alliance for International Reforestation, even a small amount, can make a big difference! Please consider that for the price of a week of coffee drinks made from Guatemalan beans, you can make a significant difference in Guatemala's ecology, and thus the world we live in will be cleaner and healthier.

2008 © Susan K Barton

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

Alliance for International Reforestation

421 N Woodland Blvd, Unit 8301

DeLand, FL 32723

www.stetson.edu/org/air

386-822-7575