Dear Friends,
Happy December!
Oh, how time flies.
This time last year, Alex and I were in Tokyo, exploring the potential of the weMORI idea. And now, here we are, with all but a month left of the most bewildering year of our lives.
In 2020, we built an organization during a once-in-a-century pandemic. We launched an epoch-making crowdfunding campaign. And in 20 days, we’re launching the app in beta!
What a year!
How was your 2020? What are you celebrating?
At weMORI, we’re celebrating our entire journey, and your support. Thank you. You make weMORI possible.
And in the spirit of Giving Tuesday — that is today, December 1st — we wanted to invite you to donate to the weMORI project.
For every $10 you gift, we will plant a tree in Kenya. For a gift of over $100, we will gift you with a dedicated, weMORI designed digital thank you card with your name in it!
This limited time offer is active until the next weLOG.
If you’re feeling generous, go over to our website and click ‘GIVE’. Monthly gifts are hugely welcome — they’re what sustain our operations.
In other news, we had an important conversation with our launch partner, World Land Trust, about projects. Things are getting juicy.
Why juicy? Well, because projects are the fruits from which me squeeze out impact.
Based on conversations so far, we’ll have protection and restoration projects in Indonesia, India, Kenya, Brazil, Mexico and more, available through the app at launch. We’re just 20 days away from real impact.
That’s everything for today. Thanks always for your support, read on below for some featured news, and see you in the next weLOG.
Do you have a recommendation on how to make the weLOG better? Anything you want to tell me? Let us know here, or reply directly to this email!
🌳 Around the World Through the Forest Vines 🌍
Eight miles…
Of ancient wall painting was discovered deep in the violent jungle of Colombia. The tens of thousands of inscriptions, dated up to 12,500 years ago, depict now-extinct ice age animals in incredible detail. What will it reveal about ancient cultures, customs, religions? Scientists say it will take generations to study. Such an opportunity comes once in a life time. We better not let it go.
11,088 squared kilometers (4,281 sq. mi)
Or 5 Tokyos, or 14 New York Cities, or 1.58 million soccer fields. That’s how much deforestation the Amazon experienced in 2020. It marks a 12 year high and a 9.5% increase from 2019. Environmental campaigners are infuriated and for good reason; deforestation under Bolsonaro has increased by 47.1%.
Grass is good
Is the conclusion of a Swiss-Kenyan study. Restoration of grasslands in tropical semi-arid regions (think: the Serengeti) can both mitigate the impacts of climate change and restore key benefits usually provided by healthy grasslands. Restoring grasslands in the future? Why not!
Santana in the Forests (Video)
Watch this forest music video for the solo track ‘Mother Earth’ by Santana drummer Cindy Blackman. Marvel at the scenes of forest life and destruction back to back.
That’s everything for this week! Thanks for reading to the end.
Oh, and feel free to forward this to a friend, or ask them to sign up from our website!