*Photo: On July 11, Director Kim Hyeong-su of Tree Planet smiles as he hugs a retinospora sapling on the balcony of his company building in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.
“Nowadays when we are facing serious damage from micro-dust, I know a good solution: We can plant large numbers of trees.”
Director Kim Hyeong-su (29, Onnuri Community Church) explained that the trees will absorb and reduce the amount of micro-dust. Kim, a social innovator, established the company Tree Planet; and through it he helps create forests that symbolize and share stories of individuals and groups such as the victims of the Sewol Ferry disaster. For him, trees are natural air-purifiers that can play the most important role in ending global warming and curing other environmental ills. His company Tree Planet has planted some 580,000 trees in the 120 forests it has created in 12 different countries. On average, this means that the “tree planting company” has given the world 300 new trees every day since its establishment in 2010.
Kim aims to plant 100 million trees around the world by 2020, and hopes that 100 million persons will participate in this effort.
“I wonder if anything else sends us as strong a message of love and hope as do trees. They give all they have. In that sense, my projects are linked with my Christian faith and philosophy. I hope more persons will participate, so that we can give the next generations plenty of forests providing happy memories, love, hope, and healing.”
Reporter Yang Minkyeong (grieg@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Photo by intern reporter Bo Yeon Kim
Full Story in Korean:
[예수청년] “나무 심는 회사요? 사랑·희망·치유 심어요!”: 이야기 담은 숲 조성하는 사회혁신기업 ‘트리플래닛’ 김형수 대표
“A company planting trees? We plant love, hope, and healing!”
2016-07-18 16:17
