ECOTRUST Seeing Results from Treetracker App Use

Greenstand's Treetracker app helping ECOTRUST monitor and verify tree-growing projects.

We are continually impressed by the ways partners use our Treetracker technology to capture transparent, verified results of the impacts made on their goals of growing trees, reducing hunger, creating incomes for impoverished people, and removing carbon from the atmosphere.

We had the chance to catch up with two organizations this week. We think you'll be as interested as we were to hear what they shared. Insights from The Environmental Conservation Trust of Ugandaare below. We'll share insights from Trees That Feed Foundation in our next post.

ECOTRUST Ug used our app to show funders of a yearlong tree planting project in Uganda the results of their donation.

“So much work happens on the ground in Uganda, with so many groups and NGOs doing it, but none of it gets tracked and documented,”  said Jonah Butsatsa.  “That’s a risk. A big risk. It’s so easy to come up with fake results when you’re monitoring a big project like planting trees. I didn’t want that to happen here.”

Butsasta found our mobile phone app before the project started. After seedlings were planted, he sent trackers (people with phones and the app installed) around to photograph each tree, which created a time, date and GPS-stamped capture of each seedling. Each capture then appeared on our web map so anyone, anywhere can see its existence. In other words... ECOTRUST captured verified proof that each and every seedling was planted (and is still alive!).

And best of all, ECOTRUST achieved its goal of providing the funder with documented results.

“At the end of the first quarter, in March, we submitted our final report to our donors. They were impressed. Really impressed.”

For his part in being able to collect data and oversee grower activities, Butsasta said he was impressed too. Watch for a detailed use case study to be shared here soon.

Then we caught up with our friends at Trees That Feed Foundation. Watch for another post where you'll be able to read why leaders Mary McLaughlin and Mike McLaughlin have been using our technology since our start to keep track of 300,000 fruit trees donated to land owners in 20 tropical countries. It's impressive to hear all that they've accomplished, plus the ways Treetracker has been able to help.