Co+op Forest Approaches 2 Million Trees

Every year, in celebration of Earth Day, the Co-op gives away free trees for you to plant, and while April 22nd marks the holiday on the calendar, we like to approach every day as if it’s Earth Day. Sustainability is a constant focus for us: how to create less waste, how to leave a smaller footprint on our amazing planet.

Every time you shop here, you’re supporting these efforts, including the National Co+op Grocers’ (NCG) Co+op Forest. As part of this larger family of co-op grocers across the country, we’re making an effort to slow climate change through the growth of the Co+op Forest.

The Co+op Forest is a sustainable forest in a formerly deforested region of the Peruvian Amazon. Trees were first planted in 2012, in partnership with organic farming cooperatives and Pur Projet. Since then, the Forest has grown to include more than 1.7 native trees in the Amazon rainforest.

According to an NCG Press Release: “In 2017, NCG offset 772 metric tons of greenhouse gases by adding 1,907 acres to the existing 5,061 acres of old-growth forest. This acreage in the San Martín BioCorredor is protected as part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, recognized as an outstanding model of community management. The co-op also contributed 1,158 tree seedlings to Finca a la Media, a community-led project that aims to restore degraded farmland so cocoa farmers needn't resort to cutting down old growth rainforest. Farmers plant the trees among their crops to prevent erosion and help build healthy soil.

‘We are grateful to PUR Projet and our farming cooperative partners for developing projects like Finca a la Media that magnify Co+op Forest's positive social and environmental impacts,’ said NCG CEO Robynn Shrader. ‘San Martín farmers are improving and restoring their farmland, a practice that is in line with NCG's ongoing efforts to help slow global warming. We applaud the adoption of regenerative farming methods throughout our supply chain.’

In addition to the positive climate impact of its 1.7 million trees, Co+op Forest is home to many unique and diverse species found in the rich rainforest ecosystem. The program also serves as a way for farmers within NCG's supply chain to diversify their income by sustainably managing Co+op Forest.

‘NCG's longstanding commitment to Co+op Forest is a nice example of the positive impact businesses can have on the ecosystems they rely on,’ said Andrew Nobrega, North American director for PUR Projet. ‘Each year, Co+op Forest draws more carbon out of the atmosphere, protects biodiversity in a unique and special region of the world, and invigorates its local economy. The benefits are multiplying.’”

Together, we’re growing something great.