Tag: sponsor
Get To Know Laughing Planet Cafe
Laughing Planet is donating $1 for every kids smoothie sold to trees + community
When Laughing Planet CEO Franz Spielvogel decided to partner with a local organization, he quickly thought of Friends of Trees. For an entire year, Laughing Planet are donating $1 for every kids smoothie sold in the Portland region to Friends of Trees.
“Keeping it local was a big impetus for this partnership. We asked ourselves: Who’s local? Who does good things?” Franz says. “How could you not love Friends of Trees?”
Having first volunteered for us over 20 years ago, and having planted five trees in his own yard, he knows first hand the impact that trees can have on a community. He even volunteered as a summer inspector.
“I’ve turned a little bit into a tree nut,” Franz says. “When you walk down a street without trees, it’s shocking. It can sound a bit cheesy on a bumper sticker, but trees are the answer.”
Because Friends of Trees’ mission aligns with the values of Laughing Planet, Franz is excited that the partnership can expose more people to the benefits of planting trees, especially young people, which is why kids’ smoothies are at the center of the partnership.
“I witnessed a mother and daughter in the cafe talking about the importance of trees. When you teach the kids while they’re young, they’ll care about trees for life.”
“Planting trees is super awesome!” Franz says. “I remember all the trees I’ve planted and I love to go back to see how they’re doing.”
Get To Know ChipDrop
You know that we’re big fans of mulch at Friends of Trees, and we use a lot of it. That’s why we are so excited about our partnership with ChipDrop, an app that matches people who want free wood chip mulch with arborists and tree companies who are trying to get rid of it. Instead of taking wood chips to the landfill, arborists can drop them off right at your garden.
“We wanted to get involved with organizations that are on the same page,” says ChipDrop Co-Founder Andrea Kappa. “Friends of Trees is already in the business of educating people about the benefits of mulch, amending your soil, and growing what you want to grow.”
ChipDrop sponsored four Friends of Trees plantings this year. We picked plantings in neighborhoods that already had ChipDrop activity, so it was an opportunity to educate people about wood chip mulch that could be available to them.
“There are plenty of people who are on the fence about it or don’t understand it,” says ChipDrop Co-Founder Bryan Kappa. “Partnering on plantings is a great way to help people understand the benefits.”
Think of what you can do with a truckload of mulch. “You can spread more than just a thin layer, and it will really amend your soil,” Bryan says. “So many people get frustrated that they can’t grow what they want to grow, and this is a way to do that.”
Beyond that, ChipDrop keeps material local and out of the landfill. If your neighbor has a tree taken down, that could become your wood chip mulch.
Of course, mulch is very important for newly planted urban trees. It reduces evaporation, delivers organic nutrients, and helps prevent the growth of weeds.
“Urban canopy is so important,” Andrea says. “Friends of Trees is taking huge leaps towards that. We’re super grateful for Friends of Trees as our first sponsorship. You’re such great supporters of what we do, and we foresee the partnership continuing into the future.”
Friends of Friends of Trees: The Joinery
By Greg Tudor
Longtime Friends of Trees supporter (and FSC-certified manufacturer) The Joinery consistently sets the bar for sustainable practices, especially in the Portland area, with its biofuel delivery truck, use of 100% wind power offsets, and FSC-certified woods and sustainable purchasing practices. But what really sets The Joinery apart is the company’s creativity—and not just in its amazing pieces of furniture. As a busy woodshop, The Joinery generates quite a bit of sawdust. This much, in fact:
