Recently, I often hear about the Ecosia project, including from people I respect.
The idea of this project is very interesting - to spend the money on planting trees, but unfortunately I do not believe in this project and it's not only my distrustfulness.
I will say right away that I did not conduct any research, did not make any inquiries, was not interested in the organizers, and did not read the reviews. All of the following is my personal subjective opinion based on the information that I, as a site visitor Ecosia saw on the main page of the project. In the end, I may be wrong.
What made me write this post? I went to the main page of the project, where is a counter of the planted trees. This counter increases every second sometimes by several units at once. That is, every second in the world for the funds raised by Ecosia project planted from one to several trees ...
During my life I planted a lot of trees and I fully understand how this is done, but I cannot imagine such scales and such speed 57 729 33 ...
By the time I prepare this note for publication on the counter there will already be 58 million. What is 58 million. Assume that for landing each tree requires 2 square meters (these minimum), then 58 million planted trees will occupy an area of 116 square kilometers.
The region in which I now live covers an area of 15,125 km², neighboring Lithuania 65,300 km², Estonia 45,227 km²
Thus, it is not difficult to calculate that the number of trees that the eco-plant project planted would take Lithuania, Estonia and the Kaliningrad region entirely and this despite the fact that I took the minimum area required for one tree. And if I will take 4 square meters for one tree, the trees of Ecosia will cover Latvia also.
And saplings has a peculiarity to die for various reasons, but the Ecosia counter does not spin in the opposite direction.
I understand that these figures may be hypothetical and that trees are planted all over the world and therefore there is no such significant concentration.
But how many big words: "Together we change lives", "2.5 million tonnes of CO2 removed from the atmosphere", "allow going to school", "feed my family"
I do not believe the words, I believe in deeds, I trust in concrete people, and not projects worked for finance.
Here on Steemit a lot of people who really plant trees.
Right now, on my windowsill, seedlings of 6 walnuts are sprouting. In a few months they will be ready to be planted in addition to already 4 planted and survived walnuts.
And I do not do this for the sake of some global goals of a universe scale. And the cultivation of these trees does not require any expenses. I just love trees and it would be great if people all over the world would just take and plant trees without relying on someone to do it for them.