A TREE FOR A SKI
Here at Coalition Snow we're quite well known for our advocacy around gender equity, but what is lesser known is we weave gender into our commitment to sustainability. For every ski or snowboard we sell, we plant trees in rural Kenya in collaboration with the non-profit Zawadisha*.
We fund the women of the Neema Women's Group to care for the Change Makers Garden that you can find down a long and dusty trail only accessible by motorbike or foot in the rural, drought-stricken county of Taita-Taveta. In this region, residents live the impacts of climate change each and every day. Planting trees in this part of the world makes a big difference:
- Reforesting with Indigenous trees helps to revitalize the land and encourage the rain, which is vital for people whose livelihoods depend on their ability to grow their own food.
- The fruit trees they plant will bear fruit in two years, which both provide income generation and food for the entire household.
- Women are paid to train their peers on how to plant the trees and they are paid to care for the garden, creating jobs in an area where few exist.
Our commitment to planting trees goes beyond offsetting our environmental impact. It's about deliberate actions that will help to make women's lives better, support vibrant under-resourced communities, and help repair the damage caused by deforestation.
Want to learn more about Zawadisha and their Change Makers Garden? Click here. And check out Zawadisha's online shop where 100% of proceeds benefit their work in Kenya.
*Our CEO Jen Gurecki founded Zawadisha in 2013, and over the years we have worked with thousands of women, providing access to solar lamps, clean cookstoves, and rainwater tanks through our community lending model. Today Zawadisha is run by a team of Kenyan women who live in the communities where Zawadisha works.