Why we partner with TREE AID to offset your flight
Flying is one of the most carbon-intensive things any of us can do — and when you’re travelling to the other side of the world for a volunteering project or adventure, that’s a significant environmental footprint. We think it’s important to be honest about that, and to offer a meaningful way to offset it.
That’s why Oyster partners with TREE AID — a charity working to tackle poverty and environmental degradation across Africa’s drylands through tree planting. For every £15 donated, TREE AID plants 15 trees in an area that needs them most. We also plant a tree for every person who travels with us, as a starting contribution towards your flight’s carbon footprint.
Why trees – and why there?
TREE AID works in the northern drylands of sub-Saharan Africa, where one of the biggest challenges communities face is soil erosion. During the dry season, topsoil can blow away if it isn’t protected by vegetation, making farming extremely difficult. Trees anchor the topsoil, stabilise river banks, and provide nuts, berries, leaves and bark that communities can eat or sell. A landscape with more trees is better able to withstand weather extremes — and better able to fight poverty.
Genet Atabe lives in Bongo, Ghana. Three years ago she watched the banks of the river where she lives crumble into the water and wash away. Since then, she and others in her village have worked with TREE AID to restore the river banks: “We have learned how to plant and care for trees, and visited some communities that have already transformed their own river banks. The benefits will increase every year as the trees grow, and our children will thank us.”
What TREE AID has achieved so far:
- Over 10 million trees grown across Africa
- Hundreds of thousands more trees naturally regenerated through improved land management
- Over 500,000 villagers have seen improved incomes from tree products — meaning better health, education and life chances
- More than a million people have benefited from improvements in soil and water conservation
- Tree survival rates in TREE AID-supported communities are 60–70%, compared to an average of 40% elsewhere
How to donate!
You can add a £15 donation to TREE AID at any stage of your Oyster booking process – just let us know and we’ll add it to your payment schedule. Alternatively, you can donate directly via the TREE AID website.
You can also read more about how we approach responsible travel on our environmental policy page.
