We give life to wood
It sounded nice to us when we put this slogan on our website in 2008. However, we had absolutely no idea how powerful a meaning it would gain a decade later.
A green future is the only future.
And we are aware of that.
An important value that we at Hrovat have committed ourselves to is responsibility. Responsibility for the work we do, for the people we work with, and responsibility for the environment.
We searched for a long time for a way to give back to nature what we take from it. And in the end, we found it. It was right before our eyes.
Our path is planting trees.
And that is exactly how today we "give life to wood".
Why do we plant trees?
We are aware that our actions will not change the world. Our goal, however, is to become an example to those who can by planting trees. The path to a sustainable way of living begins with us. With the individual. And the more of us there are as individuals (and companies), the better an example we set for those who will one day become that.
How do we plant trees?
Ni pomembno po kateri poti gremo. Vsak najde tisto pot, ki mu je blizu. Mi smo izbrali sajenje dreves. In na to smo neizmerno ponosni. Čutimo odgovornost, da:
- posadimo toliko dreves kot jih posekamo.
- z zasaditvijo dreves kompenziramo CO2, ki ga v koledarskem letu spustimo v zrak
Drevesa sadimo v sklopu projekta Treecelet, ki je nastal prav v tej mizarski delavnici. Pred kratkim pa smo projekt, zaradi pomanjkanja časa ob delu v podjetju Hrovat, predali novi ekipi, ki bo prav tako s srcem nadaljevala naše poslanstvo. Še naprej sadijo tam, kjer najbolj potrebujejo. Trenutno smo najbolj aktivni v Tanzaniji, Madagaskarju in Indoneziji.
Planted trees
We want global change...
…because we know that this is the only way. And that is why we founded the Treecelet project. Treecelet is a project that plants trees through the sale of bracelets and zero-waste products and, more importantly, raises awareness about the issue of deforestation. And it is precisely that carpentry company that inspires us to proudly live our true mission today.
When we started planting trees, we thought we were fighting only against global warming. This is a challenge faced by the developed part of the world. We worry about higher temperatures, melting oceans, access to drinking water, air quality, etc. And it is right that such things concern us, because only in this way will we survive in the long term. If we wanted to live sustainably with our current way of life, we would need as much as 6x more land area than our Earth offers us.
But when we first personally visited our planting team in Tanzania, where we are also most active, we gained insight into the genuine truth that you only feel when you stand before these people. There, time has almost run out. In the Usambara Mountains (northern Tanzania), more than 50% of the forest has been cut down, and today this strongly affects the climate. There is less moisture in the air, and therefore there is also less rainfall. Where the trees have been cut down, soil erosion occurs and the land is no longer fertile. In a world where people do not have jobs or money to buy food, this means the crucial difference between a hungry and a well-fed population. There, you can only eat what you grow in your own garden. If there is too little water and the soil is not fertile, the population goes hungry. And this hurts the most when it comes to children.
This is exactly where we make a direct impact. And this is exactly where we are needed the most. I cannot describe to you the feeling of how happy the residents are when new trees arrive in the village. You never forget the genuine smiles, the individuals who come personally to say thank you, how the village chief welcomes you, and how the children run after the truck full of trees when they see it.
With our activities, we are not saving nature. It will survive, with or without humans. By living sustainably, we are actually saving ourselves. We are saving humanity and encouraging it to become part of nature. To coexist with all this beauty that surrounds it and, above all, to notice and respect that beauty. Everything our heart needs, we have here and now. We just need to see it.
Are we perfect in calculating CO2 emissions?
No. But we want to be. We want to, because we are aware of how important it is to become a good example. The more precise we are in the calculation, the easier it will be to spread the message further. There are many factors where it is still difficult to determine exact values. We are currently solving this with an “overestimate.” We would rather plant more and have a clear conscience. We would also like to collaborate with experts who can help us refine this calculation. Even more, we want bold and courageous individuals who know how to introduce this way of thinking into large companies. Only then will the impact on the planet truly be noticeable.
I am always available for collaboration at jaka@hrovat.net.