Amazon customers in the US can donate $1 to plant a tree using Alexa

Amazon customers will be able to donate $1 to plant a tree by telling the Alexa voice assistant to ‘grow a tree.’

The new feature has been launched in celebration of Earth Month, with the reforestation charity One Tree Planted organizing the effort worldwide, prioritizing areas in the most need.

Trees play a vital role in maintaining clean air and water, a healthy climate, and providing habitats for wildlife. 

‘Alexa, grow a tree’, will run until December 2022, and customers can keep track of how many trees they help to plant through their Amazon Pay account.

Amazon customers will be able to donate $1 to plant a tree by telling the Alexa voice assistant to ‘grow a tree’; the money will go to the One Tree Planted charity

Amazon says it will also donate $1 million to One Tree Planted, alongside the Alexa skill, designed to help the nonprofit plant one million trees this year. 

The initial reforestation projects include the restoration of a surface mine in Appalachia, forest fire restoration in California and fruit trees to fight hunger in India.

One Tree Planted is responsible for more than 40 million trees in 42 countries since it was founded in 2014, and more than half were planted in 2021 alone.

The goal is to restore forests, foster biodiversity and ‘make a positive social impact around the world’, according to the charity.

‘We believe that every action and donation, big or small, matters when it comes to supporting a more sustainable future,’ Amazon said. 

‘That’s why we are committed to helping customers easily plant trees. It’s also why we have continuously worked to reduce our carbon footprint through The Climate Pledge and encourage recycling efforts through our Trade-In Program.’  

The new feature has been launched in celebration of Earth Month, with the reforestation charity One Tree Planted organizing the effort worldwide, prioritizing areas in the most need. 

Three of the initial projects are based in the U.S., with the fourth based in India.

One U.S. project is in Centre County, Pennsylvania, where the money will help reforest land once razed for mining, logging and agriculture. Approximately 34 acres of surface-mined land cannot naturally regenerate on its own. 

In California, ‘hard-working foresters will dedicate time to promote improved vegetation planning and resource management’, according to One Tree Planted. 

The Forest Health Project helps foresters reduce the risk of catastrophic fires and floods in the Mendocino National Forest, which was impacted by the 2018 forest fires in Northern California’s Colusa County.

The only non-US project, in India, helps plant trees and provide fruit for smallholder farmers in marginalized communities 

In the Pacific Northwest, the endangered Southern Resident Orcas have lived for millennia in a stretch of Pacific Ocean from Northern California to British Columbia. 

Planting trees along rivers and streams of the Pacific Northwest restores critical habitat for salmon, the primary food source of the endangered whales. 

The only non-US project, in India, helps plant trees and provide fruit for smallholder farmers in marginalized communities across the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Odisha, and West Bengal.

These fruit trees will help participating farmers create sustainable livelihoods and provide nutritious food for their families and communities.