A viral video was uploaded to Youtube on Oct. 25 by Jimmy Donaldson aka Mr. Beast on Youtube with a promise to fundraise to plant 20 million trees by 2020 all over the world to help stop climate change.
Mr. Beast started a group called Team Trees. When viewers donate a dollar to Team Trees, the workers will plant a tree somewhere in the world. Team Trees has 17.6 million dollars so far. When the trees grow up, they will be cleaning the air and producing oxygen.
The Sedro-Woolley High School Earth Club leader, Zoe Slabodnik, thinks 20 million trees might be enough.
“It kind of depends where it is. Overtime they will all grow and become bigger and produce more oxygen, so that will be good,” said Slabodnik.
Slabodnik also has done things to help the Earth. Since she is the leader of Earth Club, she tells her other members that they should be going out in nature and to stop using plastic.
“Skagit Trailer Builders go to Northern State here in Sedro-Woolley and we trail build and it’s really cool,” said Slabodnik. “We get to dig up blackberries all of the time and you get to rake dirt and help build the path for walkers and hikers and it’s really fun. It just gets you outside and it helps you appreciate nature.”
Another member of the Earth Club, Juan Gonzalez Ortiz, has not yet done anything to help reduce the impact of climate change, but he is planning to use reusable materials to reduce waste around the world
“I have heard of Mr. Beasts 20 million trees project. I think it will help with all of the forest fires around here in Washington and having 20 million trees would be effective to reduce the carbon in the atmosphere,” said Ortiz.
Although he said the 20 million trees will be an effective way to clean our air, it’s still not enough to him. He thinks that we have to pay attention to phytoplankton in the ocean. Phytoplankton produce half of the earth’s oxygen.
“Phytoplankton is actually producing most of the oxygen in the world and we need more phytoplankton,” said Ortiz. “But 20 million trees will do a decent amount to help the atmosphere, I guess”
Another member of the Earth Club, Shauna Flores, also thinks that people should be more focused on the phytoplankton because of their production of oxygen. She doesn’t really know if 20 million trees is enough, but she just hopes that the planted trees make some kind of difference.
Flores also tries to help the environment by using reusable items Not only that, but she makes sure she doesn’t waste food and eats it all.
“I’m part of the composting club. Other then that I kinda suck. I use a reusable water bottle and I eat all my food,” said Flores.