Trees, climate, biodiversity and sport – the question of “WHY?”

We can clearly see that our planet's climate is changing. Our summers are getting hotter, and in many parts of the world, temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius are no longer uncommon. In Europe, extreme weather events are becoming more and more common, claiming many lives.

At the same time, we are seeing that in Brazil, the Congo, Indonesia, and other countries, the rainforest is being cleared more than ever before, and in Australia, Siberia, and western North America, forests are burning on a large scale. But we don't need to travel that far; our forests, planted as inhospitable monocultures, are also burning here. This worries us all, because as outdoor enthusiasts, we know what a positive microclimate a tree or a forest can create. In the forest, we feel like we can breathe more freely, it's cooler, and there's always a light, fresh breeze with the pleasant forest scent. We love walking among the trees, we love trees, and we love that cool breeze in the forest! That's precisely why my life's goal, this campaign, is called "Trees4Breeze„.

Let's plant or preserve a million trees together!

Reforest and/or preserve one million trees, but HOW?

I've spent a long time thinking about how this heartfelt goal could realistically be achieved. I mean, reforesting or preserving a million trees is financially beyond the reach of someone from the middle class, and begging for donations is out of the question for me. Professional organizations do that for other, important projects, and I don't want to divert resources from that. I want to take a different approach. I want to give something with an innovative idea and use the money I receive for this goal.

Trees4Breeze and the Timeless Challenge

The Timeless Challenge is a collection of over a hundred different challenges, all designed to be fun but also meaningful. As motivation, you'll receive collector medals, coins, and the popular marbles in different colors upon completing each challenge. Proceeds from the entry fees go to Trees4Breeze.

Iron Lake Challenge – Experience unforgettable places around the world and do good

The Iron Lake Challenge is pleased with its high number of participants and is a prime example of the Timeless Challenge. I also see its entry fees as an important and innovative tool for funding one million trees. You'll walk around the most beautiful lakes in your region, and even around the world, and experience unforgettable moments in beautiful locations. As a small incentive and reward, you'll receive a collector's medal once you've completed the lakes.

Now that the question of financing has been resolved, we must address the question of concrete projects for forest conservation and reforestation.

Basically, I support two approaches:

• Purchase and thus protection of natural forests, especially in our homeland
• Supporting worthwhile organizations and campaigns to preserve or reforest trees worldwide.

Below you will find information about specific projects and their respective statuses.

Trees4Breeze tree sponsorships

Purchasing natural forests is the first, important step. However, the forests must be preserved, and that costs money. For this reason, we offer various Tree sponsorships This is intended to refinance part of these costs so that the forests can grow in peace and fulfill their valuable function.

Lifescore Punkte

Of course, Trees4Breeze is also integrated into our Timeless Challenge system. For every tree sponsorship you receive, you'll receive 10 Life Score Points as a small "thank you." Here's how it works:

1. Book your suitable Baumpatenschaft
2. Please fill out the following form. Since this is a standard form, simply enter today's date and don't get confused. 😉 You don't need to upload any proof, as we already received it when you booked the tree sponsorship.
3. We will verify your entry and automatically credit the Life Score points to your Timeless account.

Meine Baum- und Waldprojekte – Die Frage nach dem „WAS?“

Active Giving – Jeder Kilometer ein Baum

Sporteln und schwitzen für den Wald

Geh raus, tu etwas für Deine Gesundheit und beweg Dich und tu etwas für mehr Wald auf der Erde! Schließ dich über die Active-Giving-App dem „Trees4Breeze – For a better planet„-Team an und schon wird für sieben Laufkilometer ein neuer Baum gepflanzt. Bist Du kein Läufer? Kein Problem, dann mach etwas anderes, die Möglichkeiten im Fitness, Wandern, Yoga und andern Sportarten sind vielfältig!

Yoga: 250 kcal = 1 tree
Running: 7,5 km = 1 tree
Cycling: 15 km = 1 tree
Walking: 15 km = 1 tree
Swimming: 1 km = 1 tree
Other Workouts : 250 kcal = 1 tree

The app takes care of everything via GPS tracking and you don't have to do anything. If you are a user of the Strava app, you can have the kilometers tracked via this app automatically synchronized with Active Giving. Every tracked kilometer counts towards planting as many trees as possible, so start running and give something back to nature step by step!

A small addition to the videoYou have the opportunity to run for a team. And here we would like to invite you to join our Trees4Breeze team.

So kannst Du Teil unseres „Trees4Breeze“-Teams werden

Follow these simple steps and help plant trees!

• Step 1: Download the Active-Giving-App from App Store or Google Play .

• Step 2: Create your runner profile and don't forget to link up with Strava (if you are member of Strava)

• Step 3: Tap on the "Menu" tab. 

• Step 8 : Tap on "Team".

• Step 5: Enter our code: WEAVER

• Step 6: Tap on "Activity" at the bottom of the display.

• Step 7: Run and track your runs/workouts

• Step 8 If you want it, spread the word and draw attention to the action with the hashtag #trees4breezeocr

Auf der Startseite der App siehst du, was du selbst schon geschafft hast und auf der Teamseite kannst du die Fortschritte des gesamten „Trees4Breeze“-Teams verfolgen. Ich bin sehr gespannt, was wir gemeinsam erreichen können!

Have fun and do something good!

Mit der Timeless Challenge das Trees4Breeze-Team finanzieren

Our team needs a sponsor who will provide the money for each tree seedling. This is not easy, so we decided to do this ourselves in the future. For this purpose we have established a partnership with the Timeless Challenge had an idea that adds a lot of value for the participants, is fun to do, and whose revenue can (hopefully) cover all the costs of the tree seedlings.

This means: Wir halten uns als Trees4Breeze Team fit, sammeln Kilometer (oder Kalorien) auf deren Grundlage neue Bäume von unserem Partner (Eden Reforestation Project, Earthlungs Foundation) weltweit gesetzt werden. Diese finanzieren wir mit den Einnahmen der Timeless Challenge. Abgewickelt wird das Ganze von der Acitve Giving App.

Das heißt aber auch, dass Du (sobald Du 100 Bäume erschwitzt hast) 100 Life-Score Punkte und die beliebte blaue Murmel (Umwelt) in der Größe 25mm verdient hast. Doch dazu mehr unter unserer „100 Trees Challenge„.

Active Giving has published an article about us on the occasion of our 20,000th tree.

Why Active Giving?

Active Giving hat eine einfache Lösung wie wir alle etwas Gutes für unseren Planeten tun können und trotzdem unserer Leidenschaft (Outdoorsport) nachgehen können. Es ist also quasi so einfach wie „einen Fuß vor den anderen zu setzen“ 🙂

Active Giving arbeitet mit Unternehmen und Events zusammen, die einen gesunden Lebensstil fördern und dabei dem Planeten helfen wollen. Diese Unternehmen wandeln unsere (man nennt uns „Active Givers„) gelaufenen Kilometer , in gepflanzte Bäume um, indem sie diese Bäume finanzieren und vom Eden Reforestation Project weltweit setzen lassen.

So far, almost 800,000 trees have been planted thanks to Active Giving. And with every step that is run, there are more. The app is the link between the funding companies, the runners and the non-profit organizations responsible for planting the trees. It tracks your progress so that every kilometer you run becomes a planted tree. 

The Trees4Breeze team runs in cooperation with the Eden Reforestation Projects. Vom 01.06.2021 bis zum 31.12.2021 wurden die Setzlinge von unserem Partner brose (Hersteller von eBikes) bezahlt. Ab dem 01.01.2022 freuten wir uns über die Firma „Your Super“ als neuen Partner. Leider dauerte die Kooperation nur wenige Monate. Aber seit dem 01. Januar 2023 nehmen wir die Finanzierung selbst in die Hand und finanzieren die Setzlinge mit unserem Projekt „Timeless Challenge„!

Das Ziel des Eden Reforestation Projects ist es, das ökologische Gleichgewicht auf der Erde durch Aufforstung wiederherzustellen. Damit wird sowohl der Natur als auch den Menschen geholfen, denn es entstehen sehr viele Arbeitsplätze in nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft und Forstwirtschaft, vor allem in den Entwicklungsländern. Die Organisation stellt Einheimische an und zeigt ihnen, wie heimische und zukunftsträchtige Baumarten richtig gepflanzt werden. Die Dorfbewohner werden so zu „Hüter(innen) der Bäume“. 

Since its beginnings, the Eden Reforestation Project has planted more than 485 million trees worldwide - in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Nepal, Haiti, Indonesia, Mozambique, Kenya and Central America. Their goal is to plant 500 million trees by 2025. Let's help them achieve this with fun, our passion for sport and a good feeling.

Is Active Giving trustworthy?

Since many people participate in our Trees4Breeze group and thus sweat for new trees almost every day, I have a responsibility as team initiator. It is important to me that the sponsorship money really reaches the Eden Reforestation Projects. I want all those who participate in this campaign to have a well-founded feeling that they are doing something meaningful. Transparency is necessary for this!

For this reason, I wrote to both the sponsor, the app operators (Active Giving) and the planting organization (Eden Reforestation Project) to ask about the exact process. In doing so, the confirmation from the Eden Project was especially important to me. I wanted to know if funds for new trees were really arriving.

Therefore, I was very happy when I received the following answer:

Naturwald kaufen und erhalten

Es gibt bei uns in Europa nur noch wenige, natürliche Wälder und noch weniger echte Schutzgebiete in denen der Wald wie ein „Urwald“ wachsen darf und damit sowohl den Herausforderungen von Klimaveränderungen als auch der Abholzung trotzen darf.

Deshalb habe ich mich entschlossen sich bietende Gelegenheiten (soweit dies finanziell möglich ist) beim Schopfe zu packen und Naturwald-Gebiete zu kaufen und einfach NICHTS zu machen! Einfach die Natur machen zu lassen.

Keine Ahnung ob dies realistisch ist, aber mein Ziel ist es, aus „Trees4Breeze“ eine Stiftung zu machen und den erworbenen Wald über diese auch für die zukünftigen Generationen zu sichern.

Realisierte Projekte:

29.08.2024 – Kauf eines ca. 8000 qm großen Laubwaldes in der Nähe von Deggendorf (Bayern)

Wie Trees4Breeze enstand – meine „Big5forlife4“

Eine Million Bäume für die Erde und ihre Lebewesen zu pflanzen, das ist eines meiner fünf Lebensziele, eben mein „Big5ForLife4„.

Bäume schaffen ein kühles und angenehmes Klima, eben eine kühle Brise zum Einatmen für Mensch und Tier! Ich liebe diese unglaublich angenehme Luft und möchte, dass wir sie auf unserer Erde auch weiterhin genießen können. Deshalb „Trees4breeze„. Unter diesem Projektnamen möchte ich entscheidend mithelfen, dass 1.000.000 Bäume gepflanzt werden. Alleine kann ich das nicht, aber ich kann das mit Deiner Hilfe. Ich zeige Dir mit meinem Konzept einen sinnvollen Weg und bin Dir für Deine Hilfe sehr dankbar. Der Mehrwert gehört uns allen als Bewohner dieser Erde.

Trees4Breeze on STRAVA

We have opened a Trees4Breeze Club on Strava and invite you to join.

So many trees have already been planted on our initiative -..Ticker..

02.04.2025 – Kauf eines kleinen Waldes im Süden Thüringens

Unterhalb des großen Gleichberges, im Süden Thüringens konnten wir einen kleinen Eichenwald (ca. 2300 qm) kaufen. Dieser Wald ist als reine Monokultur angelegt (Eichen-Altersklassenwald) und ein Teil der Eichen sind vom Eichenprozessionsspinner befallen.

Nun heißt es, den Wald in einen stabilen Mischwald zu überführen und ihn für die Zukunft vorzubereiten. Ich freue mich auf die Aufgabe!

08.04.2025 – Mehr als 43.000 Bäume gepflanzt

Gemeinsam haben wir bereits über 43.000 Bäume gepflanzt. Aber noch schöner ist es, dass unsere Community mittlerweile auf 112 Leute gewachsen ist! Weiter so, wir schaffen das.

29.08.2024 – Kauf eines natürlichen Laubwaldes bei Deggendorf (ca. 8000 qm)

Auch wenn eine genaue Baumzählung noch aussteht, so gehe ich davon aus, dass mit diesem Kauf wertvolle und alte Laubbäume gesichert wurden. Die Gesamtzahl in diesem Naturwald dürfte bei ca. 2000 liegen.

13.03.2024 - More than 30,000 trees have been planted!

Together, we have already planted more than 30,000 !!!! trees planted. That's not just impressive, it makes me really happy. That's already a small forest. On top of that, this campaign motivates participants to keep moving. It keeps us healthy and helps our planet. We have 88 participants, but there's room for more, isn't there?

09.01.2024 - More than 28,000 trees at the start of the year

2023 ist Geschichte, aber unser großes Ziel lebt! Wir wollen eine Million Bäume pflanzen, aber wir wollen das mit einem guten Gefühl tun! Deshalb schwitzen wir und „verdienen“ mit jeder verbrauchten Kalorie weitere Bäume. Mit über 3000,- in 2023 selbst verdienten (und nicht erbettelten) Euros haben wir mittlerweile über 28000 Bäume gepflanzt und unser Team ist weiter gewachsen. Mittlerweile sind wir 85 Menschen die fleißig sporteln für mehr Wälder auf der Welt. Mach mit! Wir freuen uns über jedes weitere Teammitglied!

05.04.2023 - We have planted almost 19,000 trees!

The first quarter of 2023 has passed and we can be really proud of almost 19,000 trees already planted on our initiative. Many, many thanks to all supporters! Whether you're sweating for our Trees4Breeze team or supporting us by participating in one of our Timeless Challenges. Our collective efforts are bearing fruit and reaching 20,000 trees is not far off. We are proud that our team has grown to 72 active athletes.

Still 991.000 Planting trees until we reach our big goal!

11.12.2022 – Timeless-Challenge finanziert die Bäume – Über 16.000 Bäume gepflanzt

Things are moving forward! My dream is to reforest one million trees and we are making progress. Not only is our Timeless Challenge idea now funding our Trees4Breeze trees, we now have 67 team members and over 16,000 trees done. We can go on like this!

10/25/2022 - More than 15,000 trees done!!!

We have now managed to collect more than 15,000 trees. Thank you to all of you who sweat for the reforestation by running, cycling and keeping fit in other ways. We are still 985,000 trees short of one million trees, but we are on our way to that goal!

08/24/2022 - We have already planted 13,685 trees!

Only 986,315 are still missing until one million! Ok guys, our team needs to get bigger 🙂

07/13/2022 - We have already planted over 12,000 trees!

With 60 group members, we have now planted over 12,600 trees. I think that's a great accomplishment! Keep it up! Let your friends know so that the team grows. 987.400 still open!

05/12/2022 The Eden Forest Project reports that the cost of planting a tree has unfortunately increased.

Therefore, unfortunately, you have to sweat a little more until a tree can be set. In my opinion, this is understandable, because prices are currently rising sharply worldwide and this does not stop at voluntary NGOs.

We were provided with the following info today:

„Dear Active Givers, 
We wanted to inform you that due to price changes in the tree model of our partner Eden Reforestation Projects, we will adapt the conversion of your activities from 1st May 2022.

As of today your contribution helped the plantation of 601,180 trees and provided 6,012 work days with Eden Reforestation Projects
We are grateful for your continued support and look forward to support the planting of thousands of more trees with you in 2022. 

Your Active Giving Team„

04/13/2022 - We planted 10,000 trees! How cool is that?

Today is a special day. Our Trees4Breeze team has now planted 10,000 trees. That's just wonderful! Now we urgently need to add new athletes to our team so that we can plant even more trees.

03.01.2022 - A new year with big goals begins - We already have more than 6000 trees! - New Sponsor!

I would like to wish you from the bottom of my heart a happy and healthy 2022. And right at the beginning of the year there is a lot to report.

• Today we can be proud of over 6000 trees planted by us! I think, with a small team of 54 hardworking supporters, this is a very good achievement. I am already very excited about where we will end up in 2022!
• We would like to welcome our new sponsor YOUR SUPERFOODS warmly welcome. YOUR SUPER is a great health food store in Berlin, but which also sells excellent products online. This company finances the trees that are planted on the basis of our sporting achievements. Thank you in advance for this!
• THANKS! Keep up the good work! 6050 trees planted, up to one million remain 993.950!

12/07/2021 - More than 5000 trees for reforestation by our team!!!

This is like an early Christmas present for me. Our team has already walked, biked, and run for over 5000 trees 🙂 And we are now 53 supporters in our community. 53 people who both promote their health through exercise and at the same time care for a reforestation of forests worldwide.

THANKS! Keep up the good work! 5041 trees planted, up to one million remain 994.959!

11/16/2021 - 4323 trees and 48 supporters!

It is not self-evident that people trust such actions, because there are many (also much unserious) reforestation initiatives on the net. That's why I am very proud that we already have 48 active supporters and this number is constantly growing. And these 48 people are very hardworking and diligently collect kilometers and calories. Keep it up! Our goal (one million trees) is very big, but it is also doable.

27.10.2021 - 3551 trees and 46 supporters of our action

06.09.2021 - 1635 trees after the first six weeks and (what pleases me at least as much) 43 people who support this small project with great passion. I just wish that many more people would recognize the value of this campaign and join in. It doesn't really matter whether you run, work out in the gym, hike or ride your bike. Whereby there are of course many, many more Advantages of cycling there. In any case, we are now missing 998365 trees to fulfill the big goal (one million).

05.08.2021 - I am mega happy! After just under two weeks, we already have 34 members in our group and have already enabled over 240 new trees! That means that there are still 999,760 trees missing until we reach the million mark! But we keep on running, cycling and sporting and invite you to join us. You can do a lot of good without money and ensure the reforestation of the world's forests.

30.07.2021 – Vor genau einer Woche wurde unser „Trees4Breeze“-Team freigeschaltet. Nach einer Woche schenken uns bereits 14 Menschen ihr Vertrauen und sporteln für ihre Gesundheit und für neue Baumsetzlinge! Ich bin total stolz darauf, dass wir bereits über 80! trees erreicht. Damit fehlen „nur“ noch 1.999.920 🙂