This year has been one full of uncertainty. The challenges have not only spanned borders, but oceans. Regardless of your location, education, occupation or generation, we’ve faced 2020 together — physically apart, yet in some ways, more connected than ever before.

Locatee’s mission has always been to help enable a place that people want to work. But we realized: what’s an office where you love to work, if you aren’t on a planet where you love to live?

That is why this year’s Christmas initiative looks a bit different than previous ones. Instead of a physical gift, we wanted to help lay the foundation of a better future for each and every one of us.

We will be planting 15 trees for each of the 60 countries where Locatee is currently analyzing space utilization in offices. This means that with the help of “One-tree-One-life”, we’re planting 900 trees to help combat deforestation, in turn helping the fight against climate change and protecting the endangered Bornean Orangutan.

Locatee is committed to enabling long-lasting change, so we’re also ensuring that each tree has the proper care to thrive over the next 5 years.

Who is One-Tree-One-Life?

One-Tree-One-Life is a campaign by BOS Schweiz, which aims to reforest destroyed rainforests in Indonesia. This helps fight climate change and save the endangered Bornean Orangutan. BOS employs a holistic approach. They protect and rebuild rainforests, save and rehabilitate Orangutans, and work with local people who previously relied on the controversial palm oil industry.

Why did we choose One-Tree-One-Life and BOS Schweiz?

When choosing an organization to support on this project, it was critical for us that they were not only credible, but had a strategy in place that could help achieve long-lasting results and bring real change to our planet.

BOS applies a multi-pronged approach, to help solve the problem from different perspectives. Below you can see how they achieve their goal to help save the endangered primate by focusing on a variety of aspects.

Orangutan rescue

BOS is able to rescue sick and injured orangutans in multiple areas with their 2 rescue stations. They also support fire rescue efforts to save orangutans from man-made fires. Sadly, people create these to try to wipe out economically “worthless” land in exchange for more profitable crops.

Rehabilitation of orangutans

Rescued orangutans are rehabilitated, and if needed, given medical care. They undergo up to 8 years of education in the BOS forest school. There they learn how to build sleeping nests, identify food, recognize dangers and more. At the BOS forest school they learn everything they need in order to get reintroduced to the wild.

Reintroduction of orangutans

BOS employs a 3 step reintroduction plan for orangutans. BOS introduces the orangutans to secluded river islands during the pre-release phase. Here, they develop their natural instincts like independently seeking food. BOS reintroduces them into the wild once they deem them ready. Post-release monitoring allows BOS to keep up with the rehabilitated orangutans. The team continues to make sure the primates are thriving and adapting well in the wild. If the patterns are abnormal, and the orangutans show signs of illness, they can be retrieved and brought back for further rehab.

Community development

The locals in these areas have previously relied on the palm industry. Therefore, BOS includes them in the whole process. They also give locals the support they need to refrain from re-damaging the rehabilitated forests, which orangutans depend on for habitat. They work with them to find alternative sources of income to protect the families and their economy. BOS does this by creating local jobs and incentives to earn a living beyond poaching and deforestation.

Reforestation

With the One-Tree-One-Life campaign, BOS Schweiz is also able to help fund and carry out reforestation of the Bornean rainforest. Currently, there are 460 680 Hectares of rainforest under the care of BOS.

With the multitude of efforts, One-Tree-One-Life and BOS Schweiz are not only helping rescue an endangered species, but are also helping the environment and creating a better world for us all to live in.

Read more about the campaign or donate to the organization at One-Tree-One-Life and BOS Schweiz.

Happy holidays and all the best in 2021!