167. Hank Dearden, ED of ForestPlanet, on Planting Trees, Community Impact, and Scalable Environmental Models

How do you tackle deforestation and climate change while strengthening local economies? What’s the role of trees in securing food, water, and livelihoods? And what if environmental nonprofits acted more like sales organizations, with scalable, partner-driven models?In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Hank Dearden, Executive Director of ForestPlanet. Hank discusses:How ForestPlanet plants high volumes of trees at very low cost through partnerships with local NGOs.Why ForestPlanet emphasizes community-led initiatives, vetting, and supporting tree-planting organizations in developing countries.How planting trees revitalizes soil, retains water, and improves food and income security.The role of agroforestry and permaculture in transforming degraded land into sustainable ecosystems.Why tree planting is “the catalyst” in a larger chain of environmental and economic benefits.The critical relationship between upstream tree planting and downstream mangrove restoration and fish population health.How ForestPlanet works with corporate partners to plant trees for every product sold. These partnerships benefit ForestPlanet, local communities AND the corporations.References:ForestPlanet WebsiteSupport ForestPlanetThe Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter WohllebenMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/zoo/clarityLicense code: RQWZMZXYSBVT16ZW