Published on March 22nd, 2010 | by Guest Contributor

One Million Trees for Ethiopia

With so much environmental destruction going on in the world it can be hard to know where and how to start. “One Million Trees For Ethiopia” is the story of how one person can make a difference for the environment- it’s a local story that carries international meaning. Gashaw Tahir is an American citizen who returned to his birth country of Ethiopia and found that the green hills around his home were ruined by erosion and deforestation. His reaction? Plant one million trees.

Photo Credit: Screenshot

“If one man can do this, with collaboration we can make a huge difference.” – Gashaw Tahir.

Deforestation has been called a “modern-day plague” by National Geographic and referred to as “one of the most critical environmental problems facing the human society” by the United Nations.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa69MVyGNkA

Produced by Steven Greenstreet,, this story takes an overwhelming topic like deforestation and shows what one person can actually do- the inspirational part is how his effort, message and impact spread throughout the community. I’m used to my friends complaining about trying to remember their own bags when they go to the grocery store, which makes referring to planting one million trees as something that’s possible and a defining goal, it’s inspirational.

In the video, Tahir says that he was shocked upon returning to Ethiopia by the environmental destruction. He requested the rights to plant trees on 2 acres from the government. He got it, and began “Initiating what’s possible…” by recruiting young people from the community.

“You see, one person can enroll other people- outreach to them for a vision- and he can lead and other people follow… and they can make a difference.” – Gashaw Tahir

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Tags: Deforestation, Ethiopia deforestation, Gashaw Tahir, One Million Trees for Ethiopia, planting one million trees, Steven Greenstreet

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