Amazon is pairing up with One Tree Planted, a nonprofit that supports reforestation around the world, to plant trees.
U.S. customers with an Alexa-enabled device can say “Alexa, grow a tree,” to donate $1 to plant one tree through the nonprofit. Amazon is also donating $1 million to the organization. The initiative celebrates “Earth Month” in April; April 22 is Earth Day.
Amazon is trying to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 as part of its Climate Pledge. But its carbon emissions rose by 19% in 2020 as sales skyrocketed during the pandemic, up 15% year-over-year. And a growing number of returns is also causing environmental-related problems for the e-commerce giant.
Amazon’s donation to One Tree Planted will help plant one million trees from April to December. The reforestation projects include planting trees on 34 acres of surface mined land in Pennsylvania; on land affected by forest fires in Northern California; and along salmon habitat by streams and rivers in the Pacific Northwest that support salmon habitat. In addition, the group will plant fruit trees with smallholder farms in regions of India.
“We believe that every action and donation, big or small, matters when it comes to supporting a more sustainable future. That’s why we are committed to helping customers easily plant trees,” Amazon said in a statement announcing the initiative with One Tree Planted on Monday.
from GeekWire https://www.geekwire.com/2022/alexa-grow-a-tree-amazon-launches-voice-enabled-reforestation-initiative/