20 Million Trees for You and Me
The tree-planting initiative saving the planet
Illustration by: Samantha Gordon
The #teamtrees initiative began in May 2019 with fans suggesting he plant the trees for reaching 20 million subscribers. The donation page opened October 25, 2019, the same day that he uploaded a video to his channel describing his plan.
December 4, 2019
First deforestation, then the ice caps melting, and the bees are dying. Just when it seems that there is no light at the end of the tunnel, Jimmy Donaldson, known on YouTube as MrBeast, plans to “plant” 20 million trees by January 1, 2020. MrBeast is known for doing all kinds of extravagant things with videos like, “Going Around A Ferris Wheel 1,000 Times Straight,” “Surviving 24 Hours Straight In The Bermuda Triangle,” and many others, and this initiative came after he reached the milestone of 20 million subscribers on YouTube and his fans gave him suggestions for what he should do to celebrate.
Using #teamtrees, many YouTubers and their followers are spreading the message and donating. MrBeast has allied with the Arbor Day Foundation so that their local affiliates can find the perfect home for all of the trees by 2022.
“This is just another fact of this generation seeing the importance of getting trees in the ground to help the future of the earth,” Danny Cohn, spokesman for the Arbor Day Foundation said, after approximately 300,000 people donated about $8.5 million in the first week of launch. According to CNN, 8 million tons of carbon will be absorbed in the lifetime of 100 million trees.
Even fellow students have things to say, “It is not that different from the rest of his videos, a lot of them are him donating to streamers,” says Justice Lull, a senior at Grand Ledge High School when describing MrBeast. When asked about how effective this movement will be on planet he says, “I believe it will have an impact on the planet; but how big it will be, I think remains to be seen.”
For anyone interested in helping the cause, use the hashtag to spread the word, or go to https://teamtrees.org/ to donate and help them reach the goal of 20 million trees. Donating ends on January 1, 2020, so all contributors must act quickly. The goal, while important, is not the main focus of this movement. The main focus of the Team Trees movement is to show people that even a little can go a long way to help save the planet that humans call home. Save the bees, trees, and you and me.