Since 2007, Oboz Footwear, the “True to the Trail” outdoor footwear company headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, has planted a tree for every pair of its footwear sold. To date, it has planted more than 4 million trees through its One More Tree program, created in partnership with Trees for the Future (www.trees.org).
Oboz is celebrating the milestone through November 30, by planting two trees for every pair of footwear sold on obozfootwear.com.
“The work that Trees for the Future does is so important,” said company president Amy Beck. “These trees aren’t as much about carbon footprints as they are about providing nutrition and economic stability to families, and we’re proud to be a partner and support their initiatives.”Trees for the Future plants most of the trees in grassroots projects in five countries of East and West Africa. In the mountains of Cameroon and Kenya, the trees are protecting soils and providing livelihoods for hillside communities in the form of fruit, livestock feed, and natural fertilizers.
In the arid lands of Senegal and Tanzania, fruit trees combined with vegetable gardens are enabling impoverished families to end their chronic hunger. The Forest Garden Approach has proven to increase farmers’ income by 400 percent, and more farmers are joining the planting programs.
In the spring of 2020, Oboz launched the Tabora Forest Garden Project in Tanzania, Africa with Trees for the Future. The four-year project consists of three stages. In the first one to two years, the farmers learn how to protect, stabilize and segment their field by growing “fertilizer” trees and growing a protective barrier. In years two and three, they diversify their fields with a vegetable and fruit tree portfolio to meet the family’s priority nutritional needs and market opportunities. And in years three and four, the farmers learn about advanced Forest Garden management and conservation techniques that optimize the long-term health and productivity of the land.
The planting of 4 million trees helps reforest more than 2,400 acres of land and sequester more than 145,000 metric tons of carbon.
Beyond the One More Tree program, Oboz Footwear has enacted numerous sustainability efforts throughout its business. Oboz purchases carbon offsets for its footwear shipments, office utility bill, and employee travel including their daily commute. Oboz also powers its offices with clean wind energy from wind farms in Central Idaho and Washington, through the EPA Green Power Partnership. Additionally, Oboz donates unsellable, but still trail-worthy shoes, through partnerships with Project Sole and local non-profits.
To learn more, visit www.obozfootwear.com.
