To celebrate Earth Day 2012, Namecheap generously offered to plant a tree for each domain name that was transferred to them over the 24 hours of Earth Day. Not only that they they also offered to match each transfer – planting a seond tree for each domain transferred. Over 1500 domains were moved to Namecheap on Earth Day which brings the total number of trees planted to 3072!

We’re delighted to be working with Namecheap to plant out the trees that have been pledged where they will make a positive impact on the environment and the people around them.

Find out more information about Namecheap and their work with ITF

It is no secret that deforestation in Africa is a growing issue with substantial effects on natural systems and human populations. The U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that Africa is losing more than 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) of forest every year — twice the world’s average deforestation rate. Deforestation on this scale has serious repercussions including widespread drought, desertification, extinction of animal populations and ultimately human loss of life.

Forests, climate and health

A significant driver of deforestation in Africa is the use of trees for firewood and charcoal production. It is estimated that in sub-Saharan Africa, 70 percent of people cook their meals over wood fires. Thus the very poorest cut down trees for cooking fuel while those slightly less poor buy charcoal made from wood in those same forests. The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) reports that in southern Africa, even trees that can be used for fine carving, such as ebony and rosewood, are being cut down and made into charcoal, such is the demand for biomass fuel in this area.

Wood burning in this manner not only causes problems associated with deforestation – there are also wider climate and health issues. The burning of wood fuel by African households is predicted to release the equivalent of 6.7 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by 2050. Burning of fuel wood claims the lives of an estimated 2 million people every year mostly women and children who inhale the smoke, according to data from The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR).

The solution: Bamboo

In response to the problems posed burning wood for fuel and charcoal production, several African nations and international bodies are searching for appropriate solutions that can be widely applied. One solution that shows a lot of promise is the use of bamboo charcoal as bioenergy. In Ghana, the first phase of a large scale project is underway that will see bamboo charcoal being widely produced and used in place of traditional wood fuel.

The project is being funded by the European Union and INBAR, and represents a partnership between in-country institutes and university programmes. To date 300 micro small enterprises in the program area have been established with over 2,000 growers cultivating bamboo as well as producing charcoal. Some 7,000 low-income local households are expected to use bamboo charcoal as cooking fuel by the close of the project year in 2014.

Why bamboo?

Bamboo is an ideal species for use as a bioenergy source. It is one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet and can be harvested after three years. Bamboo grows naturally across Africa (around 4 percent of forest cover is bamboo) so conditions are already ideal for growing the plant as a crop. The entire bamboo plant can be used to produce charcoal, resulting in limited waste and it has a high heating value which makes it an efficient fuel. Charcoal from bamboo burns longer and produces less smoke and air pollution than ‘natural’ charcoal.

Bamboo charcoal production doesn’t not require any new technology and can be created through controlled burning in standard charcoal kilns. In addition to charcoal, bamboo offers many new opportunities for income generation and can be processed into a wide range of wood products, such as floorboards and furniture.

The benefits

There are clear benefits to using bamboo as a bioenergy source. As well as reducing levels of deforestation caused by felling trees for fuel, the initiative also does not seek to radically alter the livelihoods of it’s beneficiaries but rather make their current activities more sustainable.

Encouraging this ‘sideways shift’ in the livelihoods of rural, forest-dependent communities lies at the heart of the work that ITF carries out around Africa. Many ITF projects centre around the cultivation and use of trees that can be harvested as a sustainable alternative to the used of forest trees. These projects not only reduce deforestation but also provide new income sources for beneficiaries.

You can find out more about our projects in Africa or get involved in our work around the world by making a donation, purchasing unique virtual gifts in our e-shop or becoming a volunteer.

Sources:
Burness Communications
New York Times
Newstime Africa

ITF have teamed up with Refresh Cartridges to offer printer owners the chance to recycle used print cartridges and help to support our work around the world at the same time!  When you have reached the end of a printer ink cartridge, instead of throwing it away, simply send them (free postage) to Refresh Cartridges.  Read More…

The 22nd April 2012 marks the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day – an event which mobilises people in the US, Canada and around the world to call for a sustainable future and directs them towards quantifiable outcomes. Read More…

We currently have two exciting volunteer placements available at ITF.  The first is the chance to assist the Schools Coordinator in fundraising for the “Tree Power” global education project, and various school programme administration tasks.  The second is an opportunity to write content for the ITF website and help to spread the message and work of ITF to the widest possible audience. Read More…

ITF have received a mid-term report from Trees for the Future on the development of the Kaffrine agroforestry project and we are delighted to announce that the initiative has already made great progress. Read More…

Ninety years ago today, a government forester with the Colonial Office named Richard St. Barbe Baker (St. Barbe) held the inaugural ‘Dance of the Trees’ with the Kikuyu tribesmen, in celebration of their first tree planting event recognising the importance of trees in our world. Read More…

ITF are delighted to have received a very positive half year report from the ELHAP Heritage Orchard Preservation Project. The scheme is managed by our project partner, Trees for Cities who are working with Redbridge council and the staff and young people of East London Handicap Adventure Playground (ELHAP) to lovingly restore and transform an old orchard. Read More…

This year International Women’s Day (IWD) holds the theme ‘connecting girls, inspiring futures’, with the aim of bringing together as many young women as possible through an array of global events, and inspiring them to continue to drive forward female achievement and empowerment. Read More…

To celebrate International Women’s Day events are taking place around the UK and the rest of the world. You can find a full list of events on the IWD website.   In addition we’ve picked a few events, big and small, to promote the continuing dedication and positive contribution  that women are making to drive forward developments in creating a greener economy. Read More…