Here’s an interesting fact – you don’t have to be a big business to make a big difference. You can be a small business, even a tiny one, and still make a significant positive contribution to the environment. We already know that small businesses are vital for local economies, that they keep money in the community and support local interests in myriad different ways. They also provide opportunities for entrepreneurs, create meaningful jobs, and on the whole give greater job satisfaction than large corporations.

Small business is powerful! The key to making an environmental difference has nothing to do with size, and everything to with taking the right action, at the right time, with the right partners.

We have a handful of small businesses who purchase trees when they can. Small business owners are masters of ingenuity when it comes to incorporating tree planting into their business practices. Never underestimate small business. When it comes to reducing carbon footprints, they are a climate force to be reckoned with!

Over the course of the last month, seven small businesses have partnered with Fifteen Trees to plant between 15-45 trees each. Totalling up to 195 trees. A huge thank you goes out to the following;

Alice & Ivy Cotton Co (15 trees). This company was created out of a love of fabric (cotton, linen and bamboo) and simplicity of colour, they produce beautiful items such as wraps, throws, towels and even straw hats. This team plants one tree for every on-line order over $150.00.

Studio Mel Sky (15 trees). Mel is a water colour artist, who draws inspiration from Australian flora and fauna in her Central Victorian surroundings. Mel is planting one tree for every 5 artworks sold.

Evolution Photography & Events (15 trees). For all affordable photography, social media management, event co-ordination and eco party hire packages, this is the company for you. We have planted 15 trees to reduce the carbon footprint of owner Kathryn’s company car.

David Bowers (30 trees). David is a contemporary artist who draws inspiration for his unique pop art style and materials from his upbringing in the outer-west suburbs of Melbourne.

Jill Gilchrist (30 trees). Jill runs an an eco-friendly Airbnb near Manly, NSW called Wyobie One. Always looking for ways to be more sustainable, we plant 30 trees every year on her behalf.

Stronghold Fencing (45 trees). Based in Melbourne, this fencing company only uses sustainable plantation timber. We plant trees for every fencing job that Scott and his team complete.

Sonja Meyer (45 trees). This ethical design company offers a myiard of services such as branding, website design, graphics and apps. We plant 45 trees annually for their creative team.

The trees (195) were planted in the Brisbane Ranges, VIC. located just to the west of Melbourne. These trees (and indigenous shrubs) will contribute to a wide range of regeneration and habitat projects. In time, they will will make an enormous difference to the ecosystems as they protect remnant gum trees, some of which have been here for centuries.

Thank you to Fifteen Trees sponsors for helping to fund the Brisbane Ranges Landcare Group and their planting project at Balliang, VIC. We appreciate your support.

Robert Hall | Brisbane Ranges Landcare Group.

It might seem as though sponsoring a handful of trees won’t achieve much but when you realise there are many others out there also taking the same action … your contribution becomes part of a bigger picture. We’re all in this together. You don’t need a multi-million-dollar turnover, or ten thousand employees, or a warehouse the size of the MCG. You just need the desire to do good, and trust that others are doing the same.

Collective action can absolutely move mountains.

If you are also interested in how your business and Fifteen Trees could work together, contact Melinda at <[email protected]> and ask for a proposal that will fit in with your business model.

Writer – Sarah Hart.

Sarah is an artist whose passions include the stories and experiences of women and narrative driven creative work. Her aim is to delight, to reveal glimpses of everyday beauty, and to celebrate flights of the ordinary. Sarah works across a range of media, with an abiding interest in pen and ink, mixed media and the human form. You can find Sarah here.