Plant a Tree, Watch it Grow on Google Earth

Monday, March 24th, 2008 by Janet Meiners

Plant a Tree, Watch it Grow on Google Earth

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has a program called NEWtrees. You can donate a tree and watch it grow on Google Earth. When you buy a tree for $5.50, it will be planted in a rainforest in Sebangau National Forest in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.

They not only plant the tree for you but you get to watch it grow. You’ll also get a Google Earth KML with the coordinates of your tree. As Google Earth gets update with higher resolution satellite and aerial images, you may be able to literally watch your tree grow. You can see the trees planted and donate a tree at mybabytree.org.

NEWtrees is a joint initiative by WWF Indonesia, Nokia and Equinox Publishing. According to Google Earth: “This replanting project gives people an innovative way to help reforest this protected national park and monitor the growth of the trees through geotags (trees labeled with precise latitude and longitude coordinates) viewable via Google Earth and Yahoo Maps.”

Here are some other innovative ways that Google Earth is being used for good causes.

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10 comments on “Plant a Tree, Watch it Grow on Google Earth”

Prosperity Writer Says:

March 25th, 2008 at 2:20 am

great! technology has given us a new way to help the environment
Search Engine Optimization Journal Says:

March 25th, 2008 at 9:40 am

That’s an amazing idea! If we could implement more ideas fusing technology and philanthropy together, that would be unbelievable.
PepperDigital Says:

March 25th, 2008 at 10:21 am

Great post, Janet.

It is interesting to see how philanthropy is evolving with digital technology. This program engages consumers of any age, and allows users to see their donation grow.

It is a bit scary to think what else people will be watching on Google Earth in the future, though.
Mobile guy Says:

March 25th, 2008 at 11:10 am

Really cool idea, but how often it is updated? While trees grow slow you want to know it’s still alive.
Steven Bradley Says:

March 25th, 2008 at 12:37 pm

I’m not sure how exciting it will be to watch a tree grow, but it’s still a cool idea and one that would be hard to argue against.
Seomotion Says:

March 25th, 2008 at 2:00 pm

It’s really cool idea. I am going to buy a tree.
Freelance Web Designer Says:

March 25th, 2008 at 4:56 pm

This is a very creative idea. And it’s for a good purpose too. Very cool.
A Few of My Favorite Links of the Moment | Jeff Flowers.com Says:

March 26th, 2008 at 12:10 am

[...] Plant a Tree & Watch it Grow on Google Earth [...]
Hans Says:

March 26th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

Wow, people it is a great idea, so we can make our planet more beautiful and more friendly.
Thomas Says:

August 21st, 2008 at 9:37 am

Hello Janet,
this is really a good news, does anyone already “planted” a tree and got his KML?
Regards
Thomas

Marketing Pilgrim