YouTube is one of the most active online communities today, thanks in no part to the creators involved. The videos they produce are certainly a great way to make income, but from time to time they also use the platform for giving back to the community.
Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast on YouTube, organized a fundraising effort that aims to plant 20 million trees to fight climate change. He got the idea from fans on YouTube, Twitter, and Reddit, who asked him to celebrate the 20 million subscriber milestone with this feat.
MrBeast is already known for his generosity and philanthropy. However, this is his most significant project by far, and it includes virtually every popular YouTuber on the platform, regardless of the content they produce. Right now, over 600 creators support the cause.
The best thing about this fundraising effort is that everyone can participate. Jimmy teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation, who promised to plant a tree for every dollar donated. Up until this moment, over 11 million were donated to the cause. You can make your donation here.
Some influential people also decided to donate to the cause. Elon Musk, for example, donated 1 million dollars, while Tobias Lütke, a Canadian entrepreneur donated a dollar more. Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, first donated $200,000 but then added another $150,000.
The #TeamTrees initiative started in May, but it got off the last week when other YouTubers began supporting it. To get things going, MrBeast, supported by a few friends, managed to plant 300 trees in only one day.
“We know that 20 million trees aren’t going to cure climate change. But the point here is to end the decade on a super strong note. It’s a constructive way to send a message to the politicians that it’s freaking time to do something about climate change,” said Mike Robber, fellow YouTuber and a former NASA engineer who already donated $50,000 to the cause.
The actual planting should start in January 2020 and finish in December 2022. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, the trees will be native to the areas where they will be planted. Most of the trees will be planted in the USA, but a large number will be planted in other countries as well.
