Every mighty oak was once a tender sapling. Consistent, small acts add up to a greater whole and have great power to effect change.

The Earth Day theme for this year is Trees for the Earth. From the Earth Day Network website:

Our planet is currently losing over 15 billion trees each year due to deforestation, land development, and bad forest management (that is roughly 48 football fields every minute). EDN is announcing Trees for the Earth (#Trees4Earth), a plan to plant 7.8 billion trees by Earth Day’s 50^th in 2020. That is one tree for every person on the planet!

Trees for the Earth will focus on those regions of the world most affected by deforestation. In order to achieve our goal of 7.8 billion trees, we will work with partners from all levels of society, integrate trees into all of our existing campaigns, and create coalitions with national and subnational governments, mayors, faith leaders, businesses, and civil society from all across the globe.

Trees are an integral part of both our daily comfort and our survival. From the paper we write on to the furniture we sit on to the houses we live in, the clothing we wear, and the very air we breathe–trees play a pivotal role. We literally could not survive without trees. And yet, deforestation continues at an alarming rate, and our consumption of paper-related goods is increasing beyond our ability to replace what is lost. Recycling is good, and continues to gain momentum, but decreasing consumption is the surest way to save trees.

While trees aren’t directly consumed in the manufacture of most new clothing, you can also easily reduce your overall carbon footprint by purchasing fewer new items of clothing and/or by purchasing used clothing and even used shoes. There are many higher-end used clothing boutiques where you can find used very nice used clothing and used shoes for sale.

The mighty oak tree did not grow overnight. Growth and greatness take time and consistent effort. Like the oak tree, with time and consistent effort, we can reduce our carbon footprints, save our trees, and save our planet.