G Adventures Celebrates Earth Day 2025 with Meaningful Tree-Growing Projects

This Earth Day, small-group adventure operator, G Adventures, is celebrating three tree-growing projects across the world that are empowering local communities to successfully adapt to the growing impacts of climate change.

 

The projects, supported by G Adventures and non-profit partner, Planeterra, are in destinations including Morocco, Madagascar and Sri Lanka and demonstrate how communities are tangibly mitigating the impacts of climate change such as drought, floods, soil erosion and deforestation, whilst also improving community education, resilience and well-being.

 

Supported by G Adventures’ ‘Trees for Days’ initiative, which has grown over 3.8 million trees since its launch in 2023 by planting a tree for each day a traveler is on a G Adventures trip, the projects bring local communities into the climate and environmental crisis solution, powered by tourism.  

 

Much more than just a tree-planting or carbon-offsetting scheme, Trees for Days not only helps protect the environment, it enables local people to create additional income and improve their livelihoods, often benefiting marginalized Indigenous populations, women and youth. Altogether, over 115,000 lives have been positively impacted by the program including 116 communities across 20 projects globally. 

 

Jamie Sweeting, President of Planeterra said: “”Unlike many tree planting initiatives, where samplings often don’t reach maturity, or local people do not see the benefit, Trees For Days brings local communities who are already suffering the impact of the climate crisis into the solution. We don’t focus on offsets, but instead commit to growing trees and crops that are specially selected for the region and community need, helping to regenerate the environment while providing income to communities at the same time – a perfect example of community tourism and environmental initiatives working hand in hand.”

 

Akrich Nursery, Morocco

Located in a 700-year old Jewish cemetery, this nursery is growing trees including fig, pomegranate and lemon which are helping to support ecosystems and soil health through its organic practices whilst also strengthening interfaith solidarity between Muslim and Jewish communities. Planeterra has been partnering with High Atlas Foundation to grow trees here, on behalf of G Adventures, since 2023 and has sponsored the growth of 675,000 trees in Morocco more widely which directly benefit communities in the High Atlas Mountains. Through the support of Planeterra, nearby Achbarou Women’s Co-operative has been able to create a space to empower local artisans to transform their traditional carpet weaving skills into a sustainable income source through tourism as well as preserving their cultural heritage. 

 

G Adventures trips that visit Achbarou women’s co-op and Akrich nursery include this Southern Morocco: Marrakech, the Atlas Mountain & the Sahara trip priced from $2,299*pp.  

 

AMBA Estate, Sri Lanka 

As a community-run social enterprise, AMBA’s goal is to maximize local employment and incomes, while preserving and restoring the natural environment. They focus on growing revenue-earning trees such as tea, coffee, cinnamon, cacao, mango and avocado interspersed with nitrogen-fixing and shade trees, and the replanting of deforested areas with Indigenous forest varieties. Through the Trees for Days initiative 38,000 trees have been grown and the equivalent of 10 full-time positions have been created for the local community. Approximately 60 employees earn additional income from the productive trees and over 200 villagers earn additional income from the coffee trees that have been distributed to outgrowers. Indirectly, 1,000 people benefit from improved water retention, reduced landslide risk and local microclimate improvements and tens of thousands of people who live in the river valley downstream, benefit from reduced soil erosion and flood-risk from the reforestation. 

 

G Adventures trips that visit AMBA Estate include this eight-day Sri Lanka Express trip priced from $1,349*pp. 

 

Soa Zara, Madagascar 

Soa Zara’s goal is to grow trees and recreate wildlife habitats that were destroyed in the deforestation of the Ihorombe region where tree coverage has alarmingly been reduced by 85%. In addition to preventing erosion from taking place and eventually posing risk to the coral reefs, the trees encourage the return of animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds that have slowly disappeared over the last 10-15 years. G Adventures, via Planeterra, has already sponsored the growth of 450,000 trees that directly benefit communities around the local area whilst also supporting Soa Zara’s current washbasin project – working with a local women’s cooperative to create a washbasin station and water filtration system in Ranohira, allowing the community to do their laundry in a safe environment without polluting nearby water systems. 

 

G Adventures trips that visit Soa Zara include: Highlights of Madagascar – as part of this 14-day trip, travelers take part in hands-on planting of  their own trees in the ‘green corridor’ next to Isalo National Park, while also learning about the reforestation project. Priced from $3,399* pp.

 

* Prices exclude international flights.   

About G Adventures

 

Founded in 1990 by social entrepreneur Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures is the pioneer of community tourism and leader in small group travel, offering more than 850 life-changing trips in 100 countries on all seven continents. G Adventures’ award-winning trips support communities, giving travelers meaningful exchanges with local people, cultures, landscapes and wildlife, while offering them the freedom and flexibility to explore on their own. G Adventures’ responsible approach to travel is demonstrated through its ‘G for Good’ social impact commitments, which include travel guidelines for children, wildlife and Indigenous people. The operator also has more than 130 community tourism projects built into its trips around the world, developed together with its non-profit partner, Planeterra, which was also founded by Bruce Poon Tip. In 2018, G Adventures was the first travel company to introduce an industry-leading ‘Ripple Score’ assessment which measures how many of a traveller’s dollars stay in the local economy, and in 2023 it announced its Trees for Days initiative, which brings local communities already impacted by the climate crisis emergency into the solution through innovative tree-growing initiatives that help to tackle climate issues and provide revenue income for communities. With one tree being grown for every day a traveler is on trip with G Adventures, Trees For Days has already seen over three million trees grown. For more information on G Adventures, please visit www.gadventures.com. 

About Planeterra

 

Planeterra is the world’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to using tourism as a catalyst for community development. By partnering with local organizations, Planeterra helps communities harness tourism to improve livelihoods, protect natural environments, and celebrate cultural heritage.  

Planeterra aligns its efforts with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), recognizing tourism as a powerful tool for wealth distribution and sustainable development.