TechCrunch Japanese ≫ 西アフリカのニジェールに木を買おう
http://jp.techcrunch.com/?p=1484
このアプローチ、いいなぁ。
「貅

While it sounds like your heart is in the right place, the comments of others in this forum about the profit margin do give me pause. I don’t think people are having problems *understanding* your “social action for profit” model. While relatively new to me, it’s really not all that complex or mysterious (Google’s foundation appears to be planning some of this stuff too). I think instead that people just don’t *like* it, relative to what non-profits have been able to accomplish in many different situations and countries worldwide.

Also, are you really planning to plant the trees in the shape of a heart? Is this just for marketing purposes? It would seem to make a lot more sense to plant the trees where ecologists in Niger indicate would have the greatest and most sustainable environmental impact with respect to erosion prevention, rainfall / water quality, wildlife corridors to existing forest, etc.

I hope you really are listening, because there seem to be a lot of thoughtful comments here.

We agree that the company should be more transparent, and we will make all the necessary changes to do so. The fact we created a community where people can talk freely means we always wanted to show as much transparency as possible.

Our website is in beta-phase and we are also working on our communication, therefore we are listening very carefully to all the comments on the web. We are a new company with fresh ideas, and of course we face all the same hurdles that any new business faces. To help achieve transparency we are currently creating a ‘Business FAQ’ in which we will explain how our objective can be reached through ‘for-profit’ management.

Social marketing and social businesses are not easy to define and the principles are relatively unknown, making it sometimes difficult to convince people. Besides major companies doing lots of social activities, small businesses with social objectives are starting to rise too. The interest in global welfare is growing! Most successful businesses are created with for-profit management, whatever the cause is. Imagine what good businesses all over the world could do for our planet…

So more of this in our upcoming ‘Business FAQ’, it’s probably going to take a week or so to have it online. We’ll post a direct link here and we are always glad with any feedback!

Thanks for all your support!

Kind regards,

Andy

Hace un par de días en Techcrunch comentaban un nuevo proyecto, Tree-Nation, que no me hubiera llamado especialmente la atención si no fuera por un detalle bastante poco importante de hecho, y es que eran ‘Barcelona based’. Una tonteria? No…

“”Niger, although spelt a little like Nigeria, is not.” My junior high English teacher would have had a cow.

Andy further states:

“As a new company we face the obvious challenge of building trust. We do all we can, and will continue to do so.”

Well, no, you haven’t done all you can. You haven’t explained why you’re set up as a business, as opposed to being a 501(3)(c). Nor have you explained why your trees cost almost a hundred bucks a pop in a dirt poor sub-saharan nation.

I would suggest a very strong “caveat emptor” approach to this site.

“Your Rights Under These Terms
By means of these Terms, you acquire the following rights to the goods on the Web Site and managed by the Company:

* Your virtual tree of choice in your desired map location
* Additional space for your personal content
* Tree-blog and comments facilities

These Terms do not give you any right of ownership to any of the trees owned by the Company nor to the use, disposition or possession thereof. These Terms do not grant you any rights above and beyond what is expressly stated, and all obligations of the Company will be interpreted in the most restrictive manner possible.”

This appear to mean that you are actually paying for the use of this social networking site, not an actual tree, and that the company has no responsibility to you to plant an actual tree. Since they are not a nonprofit, they legally are not allowed to do fundraising, btw, online or otherwise.

For a great list of Online Giving tips, see http://www.ephilanthropy.org/s.....givingtips

http://www.zob-madagascar.org/.....o=home_ang

I think it’s great if you can make money by helping people.

Do you know other websites like that ?

Planting trees is a wonderful thing. 8 million trees in Niger? I love it. Joseph Bueys to the extreme.

I can remember buying trees for Israel as a young kid, 30-odd years ago. A quick google search reveals many different organizations doing this.

This is a great idea. Who says participating here means you can’t ALSO feed a child for a month Marcello?

If the problem is distribution, production or corruption is a different, although correlated, topic.

Daniel is right, distribution is the problem. Many times rebels or corrupt governments stop food from getting to those places that need the food the most. It is easier to rule a starving man than a well-fed one.

So, before you dismiss the value of trees, be sure you’ve done your homework.

TechCrunch - how about a writeup - this site is innovative in many ways. Take a look!

Subsistence don’t stand a chance in regions prone to desertification. We can choose assistance and feed them in 10 years, or ensure their livelihood and our climate are protected.