Meet Dr. Stephen Fitch, the CEO, and Founder of Eden Reforestation Projects. An avid diver and outdoor enthusiast, Dr. Fitch grew up in the Philipines where his love for nature and exploration was sparked. Upon return to his boyhood home in 1997, he was shocked to find the large-scale environmental destruction that had taken place. The jungles he used to play in had been cut down, the topsoil was eroding into the ocean as a result of deforestation, and the coral reefs he used to dive through and explore were being smothered from all the soil runoff. Having seen similar ecological and habitat destruction elsewhere in the world, Dr. Fitch was determined to do something about it, he started the Eden Project in 2004 to combat global deforestation. His organization has planted nearly half a billion trees in 8 countries in 228 project sites. Learn how the Eden Project’s “Employ to Plant” methodology helps local communities gain steady employment so that people living in extreme poverty can begin to afford daily necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, and medicine, thereby establishing a sustainable relationship between the land and people.
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