About

PLANT-IT 2020 BUSINESS INFORMATION/BOARD:

Mission & Services
History
Staff & Business Information		 Philosophy & Ethics
Project Partners
Non-Discrimination Statement

Mission and Services

Plant-It 2020 is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit foundation that performs worldwide tree-planting, donates fuel-efficient cooking stoves to needy families, and provides forestry, soil, and biochar education. Our services not only help reforest the world's cities and forests - they provide direct humanitarian aid by reducing hunger, thirst, malnutrition, poverty and indoor pollution while increasing the sustainability of not only the world's forests but also its people.

Tree-planting

  • The Forest Tree Planting program where we plant trees for a set amount
  • There is an e-card program where a tree is planted for every $1.50 received and the contributor gets to create a beautiful, customized, slideshow e-card that is sent to the recipient.
  • Custom Urban (city) tree-planting events

History

Plant-It 2020 was founded in 1992 by the singer John Denver. He wanted to plant trees so that denuded and damaged forest ecosystems would return to a state of sustainable health. This first phase was marked by a focus on the planting of tree seedlings around the world, larger city trees in cities, and tree education. We quickly developed a reputation for letting our contributors decide where the trees get planted, having a strong humanitarian focus in our tree-planting events and for never compromising on the quality of our projects. We created the first 'dollar-per-tree' program where for every dollar we received, we would plant a tree. The contributor decides where the trees get planted from our list of worldwide locations.

Phase two in 2009 introduced our fuel-efficient stove fund-raising efforts, our focus on biochar and on our biochar and soil education. These efforts complement our mission of restoring the world's forests to a state of health.

Phase three in 2015 has price changes where we abandon the ‘dollar-per-tree’ promotion. Although our priority remains to plant trees in no-logging locations, we now allow for some specific projects where there may be selective thinning in the future.

Staff Information:

Board of Directors

Michael Thau
Executive Director

Diane V. Cirincione
Ph.D. - Author & President - Jampolsky Outreach Foundation

Robert Courson
Chairman & CEO - The Courson Company

Gerald G. Jampolsky
M.D. - Author and Founder of the International Centers for Attitudinal Healing

Martin Leaf
Esq. - Attorney

Harold Thau
President & CEO - Advent Management Corporation

Robert White
Chairman & CEO - ARC Worldwide, LLC

FOUNDER: John Denver

Business Information:

Internal Revenue Service EID#: 06-1356691
IRS Tax Exempt Classification: 501 (c) (3) nonprofit
IRS Foundation Classification: 509 (a) private foundation
Colorado Nonprofit #: 951148018 C
Incorporation: Delaware, in 1992

Philosophy & Ethics

Plant-It 2020's philosophy includes five points. One, contributors should have the right to have some control over their contribution such as deciding where the trees get planted. Whenever possible, tree-planting projects should have additional benefits such as reducing human hunger and thirst; stopping an encroaching desert, saving an endangered species, reducing killer landslides, reducing malnutrition, and reducing cyclical flooding and drought. Three, tree-planting organizations should never engage in deceptive practices - and there are many in this industry. Fourth, only the highest quality events should be performed. A tree-planting group should never take on an event that is not environmentally excellent simply to make a few bucks. Five, the over-riding goal should be to generate sustainability in the world's urban and rural forests. This includes soil quality.

Our ethics are based upon the following ideals:

  1. Sustainability. There is a large amount of forest and soil science out there that allows people to manage forests so that they are sustainable, healthy eco-systems. We believe that leading edge science should always be used as mankind's guide in this area. Indigenous people need to be trained how to create and manage sustainable forests as well as how to train others to do the same.
  2. Long-term strategies. Nearly all tree-planting worldwide is for trees to later be cut down for fuel, building or development. While we see a need for this, tree-planting groups should ethically be finding ways to lessen demand. This is why Plant-It 2020 fund-raises for fuel-efficient cook stoves. We also plant trees only in non-harvest locations, as there is tremendous need and little funding for these locations.
  3. Contributors are the 'heroes' of the environmental movement. It is their generosity that allows the world's forests and people to thrive. That is why Plant-It 2020 doesn't see them simply as 'cash cows' and create such things as 'memberships', spam them or constantly harass them for more contributions all of the time. Contributors deserve better.

Project Partners

Plant-It 2020 has partnered with a variety of organizations in creating and implementing reforestation projects. In addition, certain companies and individuals deserve special recognition for making Plant-It 2020's reforestation efforts a success. If your organization has partnered with us in a reforestation project and it is not listed, please contact us so that we can fix the situation and honor your contribution.

Organizations Deserving Recognition: Abbott Laboratories • Accelerator Growers Association • Alpine Arts Company • Basic California Foods • Berenbaum & Weinshienk, P.C. • Blunt Mortuary •The Brainerd Foundation • Career Advantage, Inc. • Cherry Lane Music • Chrysler/Jeep of California • Clark Transfer, Inc. • Colorado Tree Coalition • Coors Brewing Company • Delta Music, Inc. • The Designory, Inc. • EmployeeService.com • Evergreen Funeral Homes • Fattal & Collins • Georgia Forestry Commission • Carol Guest • Half Price Books • HARLAND • Holtz Rubenstein & Co. • Janus Service Corporation • Jazz Aspen • K & Y Investments, Inc. • Kent Rotary Club Foundation • KRW International • Lowry Music Co. • Marriott Management Services • The Mountain Astrologer • National Arbor Day Foundation • Nissan Canada, Inc. • People's Bank of Fannin County • Scott Capital Corporation • Shook, Hardy and Bacon, LLP • Sony Signatures • Southern Pine Timber Products • Stanley Motors • Starsend Creations • The Synergy Company • Tools For Wellness • Traditional Medicinals • Tree Canada • Tree Davis • Trees For London • The Windstar Foundation • Trees For the Future • Virgin Entertainment Group • Vision Paper • Wells Fargo Bank • Weyerhaeuser • Wharton Capital Partners

Each of the John Denver Fan Clubs also assisted us at different times and in different ways and we are exceptionally grateful to each of them!

Individuals Deserving Recognition: Fritz Affolter • Donna Axmacher • Charles Balis • Pamela Beasley • Carole Bell • Ellen Bigelow • Janet Burns • Debbie Bradshaw • Patty Burrell • Mary Caudle • Catherine Conlon • Victor Coopersmith • Vicki Cotnoir • Robert Courson • Diedre Devlin • Carol Dopkin • Liz Doss-Perry • Jeff Duroy • Kimberly Faley • Robert and Lorene Fitzpatrick • Barbara Fleming • Linda Frances • Greg Goebel • Laura Grange • William Gratz • Carol Guest • Frederick Guest II • Yvonne and Paul Hardman • Robert H. Hawke, DDS • Lita and Morton Heller • Suzanne Hotaling • Robert and Sharla Hottman • Eric Ilasenko • Gerald Jampolski and Diane Cirincionne • Michelle Kautz • Clark Kellog • Stephen Krass • Donna Kuelz • Julie Lawrence • Martin Leaf • Julia Levin and David Lewis • Stacy Klementz • Terry and Donna Lipman • Christopher Lynch • Patricia Mason • Michael and Ginger Mathy • Fred Matser • Catherine Meadows • Bill and Trudy Merchant, Jr. • Beth and Charles Miller • Regine Mullens • Mary Anne Murray • Martina Navratilova • Valerie Nestrick • Milton T. and Rosemary Okun • Jane Overton • Lexi and Robert Potamkin • Claudia and Alan Potamkin • Mary Elizabeth Rees • Kanwal and Ann Rekhi • Debra Sanderson • Lynne Shaw • Sherrill Schoepe • John St. Augustine • Tom Stabile • Renee Justice Standley • Ted and Vada Stanley • Thomas and Judith Swenson • June and Enest Takeuchi • Zanna Thorner o Germaine Wachter • Barton and Debora Waring • Sandy Weaver • Bill Weedman • Daniel and Nancy Wheeler • Charles and Barbara White • Robert White

Plant-It 2020's Official Non-Discrimination Statement:

Plant-It 2020 is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in every aspect of existence and operation. We are consciously and proactively inclusive of all areas of diversity including, but not limited to, race, creed, ethnicity, color, national origin, ancestry, beliefs, socioeconomic status, marital status, family status, veteran status, language, disability, or immigration status.

To view the actual legal texts of the various Federal United States anti-discrimination laws, we direct you to: www.kumc.edu/eoo/nondis.html