Treedom: will you help me enlarge my forest?

Today I want to talk to you about Treedom and why I decided to create this forest in which planting a tree different every month. I chose to sell my book 'Sommelier: the illustrated manual'. only in paper format. First of all, I find it extremely convenient for studying as I consider the kindle format only suitable for reading novels, essays or poems. When studying, you underline, highlight, write and flip through the pages. Then I am nostalgic for books in general and e-books will never get me. I have tried, I really have. But a book releases tactile sensations in me that I cannot give up. Finally a paper book is greener than a digital book.

I know, it sounds incredible! Yet the paper book is much better than an e-book for so many reasons. For a start, the life cycle is extremely longer than an electronic device, and then you don't even need constant recharging and batteries. Without going into detail, To produce and transport a paper book consumes about 3 kg of CO2, while for an e-book the consumption is more than 40 kg of CO2. So anyone who does not print a book and opts for an e-book or kindle under the guise of being environmentally friendly is either being clever or does not know what they are talking about.

On the other hand, there is a real problem of deforestation also caused by the printing of paper books. To respect the environment as much as possible, I chose to print "Print on demand"This system costs me considerably more than mass printing, but drastically cuts down on paper waste and waste production. In fact, each month, based on the sales of the previous months and years, I only print the copies that we expect to sell the following month.

However, I am aware that this is not enough and that much more is needed to help our beautiful planet. That is why, when I came across the Treedom website, I fell madly in love. Treedom was born in Florence in 2010 thanks to its CEO Federico Garcea and has since planted over 2.4 million trees in Italy, Africa, Latin America and Asia. The best thing for me is that all the trees are planted directly by local farmers and this not only brings environmental benefits, but also social and economic ones. To date, Treedom has helped over 146,000 farmers by directly financing small agroforestry projects and thus creating sustainable ecosystems that guarantee food sovereignty and a source of income.

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Treedom starts the agroforestry project, builds the nursery and produces the seedlings. It trains farmers on the best agroforestry practices together with local universities and research institutions and distributes the plants to them as soon as they are ready to be planted. It also covers all the costs as long as the tree does not provide the farmer with an income, helping to alleviate poverty and stimulating the establishment of local micro-enterprises.

If you buy a tree on Treedom you will receive the GPS coordinates of the tree that is listed in the public register with a unique ID. You can choose the tree according to 4 criteria: food security, CO2 absorption, economic development and environmental protection. You can follow its growth through the tree's diary and get environmental and social updates.

For example, the first tree I chose was a coffee seedling that has a score of 1 on environmental safety, 2 on CO2 absorption, 10 on economic development and 3 on environmental security. I named it after my dad, Daniele Bassi, in his memory on the third anniversary of his passing. My dad loved coffee so much. I am thrilled to know that in Sensi, Kenya, there is a farmer who cultivates this tree with love and in the years to come will derive an income from it that will help to support his family with dignity. Right now in Sensi it is 2 hours ahead, the night is clear and it is 17 °C. I can't wait to get the photo of the seedling in the nursery, the photos of the tree growing, and to meet even virtually the farmer who will take care of it for decades to come.

Here, these are the things you can see in the tree diary. For example, this is the diary of my dad's coffee tree which I gave to my mother on 18 December. Yes, because the nice thing is that you can also give these trees as gifts and they are a really beautiful present. You can choose whether to print a card (on recycled paper of course) as I did (which I will give to my mum on Saturday... in fact she doesn't know about this gift yet and if she doesn't read my blog until then it will be a surprise!) or send an e-card by e-mail.

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All my notes on wine and food in one book.

Thus was born my forest, which I named after my book: 'Sommelier: the illustrated manual' and every month I will plant a tree there. For this Christmas I planted five trees, the minimum number to start this small project of planting. How much does it cost to plant a tree? Trees are affordable for everyone: from €16.90 for a cacao to €69.90 for a Baobab. If you don't know which tree to choose, you can follow theTree horoscope and choose for €24.90 a different tree according to zodiac sign. By planting this tree, in addition to updates from the project, you will also receive the sign's horoscope every month.

I chose to give everyone the opportunity to plant in my forest because I would like those who, like me, believe in environmental sustainability and have read my book to help me populate it by planting a tree. A small gesture for yourself, but also an idea green gift for this Christmas. It is 22:33 on 22 December: if you still have some last-minute gifts, how about planting a tree HERE in my forest? If you choose the gift option, the card will automatically be created for you, ready to be delivered by hand or sent by e-mail. This is a gift that will really make you look great and that will last for years: because for years the diary will be updated giving little unexpected emotions to those who receive it.

[In photo Riccardo Alessandrini, Treedom's Forestry Manager].

I sincerely hope I have inspired you a Christmas gift different and at the same time valuable. Giving a tree as a gift is a beautiful gesture and if you plant a tree in my forest it will be the most beautiful feedback you can give me for my work and my books. However, if you don't feel like planting it, remember that this forest was born and will grow also thanks to you who bought my book "Sommelier: the illustrated manual".

Many thanks from me, our beloved planet and all the farmers and communities we help together.

Cheers 🍷

Chiara

P.S. In the cover photo the Yankee Candle "Christmas Cookie' in large jarone of the best in my life. A cuddle I treat myself to this Christmas to relax while I write. It tastes like freshly baked vanilla biscuits, it is very intense and just keeping it on for a few hours is enough to perfume the room all day long. I love it.