Social Impact Social Media

oneearth.org Omar Tello, now 64, planted a rainforest from scratch in Ecuador.    38 years ago he bought 7 hectares of land that had been completely cleared. Over time, he converted the pasture into a pristine forest. In the beginning, he spent each afternoon and evening removing the pasture grass with a machete, and then he planted trees and shrubs that he had brought from other parts of the forest that were being cut down. Early on, crickets would eat his baby trees, so one by one, he would get rid of them by hand. It took him 15 years to restore the soil. Then he began training others to do the same-- that resulted in formation of the nonprofit Humans for Abundance . They have a network of "restorers" with projects in environmental #conservation , #restoration and #agroecology . You can explore the work they do and donate to support the projects you are most passionate about. Visit them on Facebook or follow on Instagram @humansforabundance #environment...

For this Netherlands-based charity a very special set of unique skills, along with passion, are required. And according to founder Pascal van Erp, “It is very important to show the world how big the problem is that we are talking about.” “There are lots of nets out in the oceans.” Each dive costs between $2,000 and $2,700. Thus far the group’s only source of support has come from the Dutch government: $530,400 from a pool created by the sale of lottery tickets. Pascal leads a team of 30 to 40 volunteer divers in the North Sea. His group coordinates and works with a loosely integrated network of like-minded divers around the world. “In the last three years, we have made 100 dives and removed 10 tons of fishing gear from the sea,” he says. The nets are then recycled into socks and other textiles. Their efforts are both difficult and dangerous. “It’s the most difficult type of diving I’ve ever done,” says Heather Hamza, one of roughly 50 volunteer divers who make u...