Here is an interesting initiative called The Second Chane Trees Reforestation Project that purports to bridge the reach of online to effect positive change offline.
As we look to do our part to help our planet recover from the damage we have collectively inflicted, for the most part over the past 100 years or so, it is really a small way to get involved. By the same token, I hope this is all legit. I tend to be a weary of things like this simply because there are so many scams going on in the digital space, like the recent ploy to copyOne Red Paper Clip fraud in China. UPDATE: See comments section - social media friend Paull Young of the Forward Podcast was part of this.
Anyhow, here is how the program is described:
The Second Chance Trees Reforestation Project uses Second Life as a platform to teach visitors about the planet’s endangered rainforests and the dangers of deforestation. For every tree you buy and plant in Second Life, a real tree will be carefully planted in the real world.
There seems to be a link with American Express in terms being the only form of payment. I'm not certain what it is but would love to learn more background. Was Amex involved in some way or helping the cause?
Sounds like a good idea, only problem I have is that it is linked only to Second Life and could perhaps have a much bigger impact if it were taken across multiple online communities. Maybe that will be a phase two plan. Either way, help spread the word.
Hat tip to Andy Beal.
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G'day Michael!
The Second Chance Trees project is a project I've been working on since I started with Converseon! Happy to give you some more background mate.
My agency Converseon conceived the idea, and designed and developed with the island. Our motivation for getting involved was because we thought it was a cool idea, and it demonstrates our approach to SL and other online communities. First do good by the community before ever trying to market to it.
We partnered with a registered (c)(3) non-profit called Plant It 2020 (who were founded by John Denver!). At the island, people can buy and plant a virtual tree for 300 Linden ($1.50) and in turn a corresponding tree is planted in endangered rainforest regions in the real world.
We pay for the island costs and work on a non-profit basis with the charity.
The tie to American Express is that the project has been selected as a fulfilling organization for one of the 50 finalists in the American Express Members Project. If it wins, it would receive up to $5 million in funding which would allow it to plant millions of trees in the real world while educating people in Second Life.
US Amex cardholders can vote for it here:
Be sure to vote for the 'Virtual Forest Project. One Million Trees. Easy.' - there is another project with a similiar name that has been confusing many people.
Happy to answer any questions on this mate! We chose Second Life because of the potential for education and an immersive experience. Few people can plant a Neem Tree in India - but now they can virtually live out the experience.
Cheers! (and sorry we missed you on the Forward Podcast tour of the PR podosphere - we knew we'd stuff up somewhere and it's a real shame it was the Client Side we dropped the ball on!)
Hey Paull,
Good to see that you are behind it! Thanks for the background info.
.... and no worries about missing TCS on your podcast. It was still a great listen : )