"Trees for a Change really sprouted when I was 5 and started a business selling glittered pinecones on a card table in front of my house. Ever since then I've wanted to be my own boss and as an adult I just had to figure out how to combine that desire with my love for nature and creating things.

I got the idea for Trees for a Change in 2006 when I read that one of the best things you can do for the earth is to plant a tree. Planting a tree for someone you care about seemed like the perfect gift idea: it benefits the planet and it isn't more stuff- it's a gift that feels good to give.  And for memorials, trees are so much better than flowers- they are a meaningful, living tribute that truly honors someone.

In 2007 I decided to take the leap, and I did extensive research on reforestation projects to figure out where our trees would do the most good.  I named it Trees for a Change because I wanted to change the way we think about gift giving- I wanted to help people think of giving a gift as an opportunity to make a difference. 

I absolutely love going to visit the baby trees- it's like a spiritual pilgrimage for me every time. I would have a hard time really describing the eerie feeling of being in a totally desolate, quiet, burned up forest.  It's haunting.  And then I walk around amongst the charred tree trunks and eventually come to a baby tree that is maybe a foot tall.  It's new life. It's hope. It's magical.  It has been my trips to the trees that have made me really understand that every single tree matters. Every. Single. One.

Many years into Trees for a Change and thousands of trees planted later, I feel full of gratitude. I am so grateful for all the people who dedicate Tree Gifts, I'm grateful for all the stories I have heard about how powerful and meaningful this gift is, I'm grateful for all the relationships I have built through this company, and I'm grateful for all the support and love I've received from so many sources. I'm grateful that you care enough about what we do to bother to read this :)

I hope you find our Tree Gifts to be a beautiful way to celebrate another person while doing something good for the earth and her future generations. Our trees connect people and nature in a very beautiful and special way, and facilitating that connection feels sacred to me.

Please know that when you order a gift from Trees for a Change, your gift has been created with the care and attention I would put into gifts for my own loved ones."

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Michelle B- Senior Order Processor/Collective Grove Manager

Favorite Quote about Trees:

"I dare not look away / From beauty such as this, / Lest, while my glance should stray, / Some loveliness I miss. / The trees might choose to print / Their shadow on the lake; / The windless air might glint / With aspen leaves that shake. / Over the mountains there / A thin blue veil might drift; / Then in a moment rare / This thin blue veil might lift. / Ah, I must pay good heed/ To beauty such as this, / Lest, in some hour of need, / Its loveliness I miss."  ~Jessie B. Rittenhouse

 

"When I'm not processing Tree Gift orders, I'm hanging out with my husband and son, walking my four dogs, creating tie dyed clothes and tapestries, or painting. Born and raised in Northern California, I have spent a lifetime playing in the forest. I run on creativity and a love for nature."

I love working for Trees for a Change for many reasons. Knowing I am part of such a wonderful company makes working feel more like a good deed. It feels great to know that we are giving back to the earth with every gift we process. Tree by tree, we really are making a difference."

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Chris - Customer Care Specialist / Order Processor

Favorite Quote about Trees:

"Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth...Whoever learns how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. They want to be nothing except what they are. That is home. That is happiness."  ~Herman Hesse

 

"As a young girl growing up in the midwest, I loved to watch the seasons change while exploring the trails in the Forest Preserves near our home.  After settling in northern California, I discovered the rolling hills of oak woodlands and the towering majestic redwoods.  I've spent many happy hours hiking and backpacking through forested parks, and am deeply grateful for everyone who has had a part in preserving these wild lands. 

My free time finds me on the trail, or paddling my kayak, or at home working on a quilt for the newest baby in my circle of family and friends.  I feel very blessed to be a part of our effort to plant native trees to keep our forests strong and healthy for my grandchildren to enjoy as I always have."

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Michelle C. - Digital Marketing / Social Media Assistant

Favorite Quote about Trees:

"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted and bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful."  ~Alice Walker

 

"Growing up in California and visiting family in Vermont, I developed a deep appreciation for the way trees shape both a landscape and our emotions. Time spent at my grandparents’ humble fishing cabin on Hall’s Lake in West Newbury taught me how grounding and healing nature can be. 

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Willow - Community Outreach  

Favorite Quote about Trees:

"Nature is loved by what is best in us."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

"In my spare time I love being outside, hiking with friends and sharing laughter. I grew up in a family that camped often and instilled in me a deep appreciation for the natural environment. As a Community Outreach member with Trees for a Change I blend my core values into my daily work life, how cool is that?!

Working with Trees for a Change makes me happy. Restoring forests and native habitat for generations to come is our goal, and I’m proud to be helping our customers share a living gift of gratitude and appreciation when they send a Trees for a Change Tree Gift."