Read how planting trees can help rebuild Haiti. myCATS has planted thousands of trees with the help our of customers who wear our eco-friendly espadrilles & alpargatas for men & women. Learn more at www.mycatshoes.com.
“Almost all of the country’s problems—natural disasters, food shortages, poverty—can be traced back to rampant deforestation,” says Ethan Budiansky, the Caribbean-programs officer at Trees for the Future, a nonprofit group that is planting thousands of trees in the mountains around Gonaïves. “So if we want to fix the country, we have to start there.” While there are no panaceas in Haiti, successful reforestation might come close. By absorbing water and holding soil in place, trees can minimize the impact of natural disasters and repair nutrient-poor agricultural lands. An aggressive reforestation campaign would also bring much-needed jobs to the region and, if done correctly, could solve the energy conundrum that led Haitians to cull their forests in the first place. “Planting trees is not just some quaint side project,” says U.N. Development Group chair Helen Clark. “It’s the key to rebuilding the country.”
Read more here:
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/16/a-tree-grows-in-haiti.html
