Why you can feel good shopping Melissa & Doug
At Melissa & Doug, we like to use wood whenever we can because it’s both natural and renewable. In fact, our first hit toy was a wooden puzzle! We want a world where children have access to both high-quality wooden toys and thriving forests. That’s why we’ve committed to planting 10 million trees by 2030. With the help of One Tree Planted, a nonprofit organization focused on global reforestation, we’re supporting planting projects around the world. From wildfire restoration in Oregon to planting fruit trees to fight hunger in India, these projects are benefitting both the environment and the local communities. Here’s a closer look at three projects that our contributions are helping support:
Wildfire Restoration in Oregon
Location: Western Oregon
Project: Reforesting lands that were burnt during the devastating fires of September 2020, affecting hundreds of thousands of acres in western Oregon.
Ecological Benefits:
- Re-establishment of native forests
- Plantings near rivers to benefit fisheries and watersheds
- Helping wildlife recovery, such as Spotted Owl nests
Community Benefits:
- Employment opportunities with initial reforestation and continued maintenance
- Restoring recreation areas
Fighting Hunger in India with Fruit Trees
Location India
Project: Planting and nurturing 2.5 million fruit trees with smallholder farmers in marginalized communities to create sustainable livelihoods and provide food to families. (“Smallholder farms” are small-scale farms typically cultivated by a single family)
Ecological Benefits:
- Fighting pollution
- Conserving water
- Preventing soil erosion
Community Benefits:
- Generating additional incomes for families
- Reducing hunger and malnutrition
- Improving gender equality by employing local women in nurseries
Recovering Forests in Peru
Location: Puerta Inca, Peru
Project: Recovering soils and forests in the deforested lands of Santa Isabel; planting half the area with native species for biodiversity and half with native cocoa
Ecological Benefits:
- Reforestation of 120 hectares of land
- Better balancing biodiversity and ecosystem, conserving macro and microfauna in soil, as well as CO2
- Creating ecological corridors of wild fauna that are scarce
Community Benefits:
- Jobs for 100 families in the region
- Environmental training workshops for women and young people
- Income generation via cocoa cultivation
Here’s an interesting video from One Tree Planted on how trees grow that you may want to share with your kids:
Source: One Tree Planted
For more on Melissa & Doug’s sustainability efforts:
Melissa & Doug Commits to Planting 10 Million Trees by 2030
Melissa & Doug Wins 2022 FSC® Leadership Award for “Uncommon Excellence”
We’ve Joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition® and How2Recycle®
