We're Planting a Tree For Every Six Bottles Sold
We’ve all heard about the link between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. But something that we hear about a lot less is the effect that land clearing has on local climate. We’re on a mission to raise awareness around this issue and make our own contribution to revegetating Western Australia to help create a healthier and more vibrant future for Western Australians.
Rainfall has declined in Western Australia by around 25% since the 19070s, which is placing pressure on farmers (including grape growers), urban water resources and the environment and has an effect on temperatures. Between 1910 and the year 2000, 80% of the south-west of WA’s native vegetation was removed, largely to make way for cropping and grazing. University of Western Australia researchers have shown that at least 55% of this decline is attributable to the effect that the removal of vegetation has on cloud seeding and other biophysical processes that are influenced by land clearing, while global climatic change has played a secondary role.
At the same time, salinity has increased and now affects over half of all farms in the south-west of WA. This is due to rising groundwater levels, that are no longer depleted regularly by deep-rooted trees or annual pastures, rising up through a layer of marine sediment that sits above the groundwater table. Salinity poses an ongoing threat to agriculture in WA.
We are also located in one of the world’s 36 remaining biodiversity hotspots. But WA, much like other parts of Australia, is on the verge of a biodiversity collapse, in large part due to the loss of vegetation and habitat.
We don’t see ourselves as powerless in the face of crisis - far from it. If anything, the knowledge that there is a problem is empowering and allows us to take steps to address it. That’s why we’re committing to plant a tree for every six bottles sold through our website - forever, or until there’s tangible evidence that the tide has turned against soil degradation, rainfall loss and salinity in WA’s south west. By planting more trees, we aim to provide more habitat and food for wildlife, help our farmers out by preventing or reversing the spread of salinity and helping everyone out by contributing to increased rainfall. The carbon sequestration associated with planting trees is a boon too.
We are donating funds to Trillion Trees, a non-profit organisation, to plant native vegetation in WA on our behalf. You can read more about them as an organisation here, but in a nutshell, we've chosen them as they focus on planting for functional biodiversity. That means that when they plant, they aim to replicate the mix of species that would be found in a natural environment, providing habitat and food for a whole host of species. This is likely to result in the development of ecosystems that are more complex and resilient long-term.
We hope that you’re just as excited about this initiative as we are. Head to our online store to help us do our bit for the environment and humanity by clicking here. We truly believe that, together, we can make a difference.
