If you’ve followed Aligned on these pages, through our social media accounts, or our public announcements, you already know that we’re a company focused on driving both organic and strategic growth. We’re also great believers in growing sustainably, reflected by our energy-efficient technology innovations, our commitment to expanding access to renewable energy resources, and even our historic sustainability-linked financing.
Simply put, Aligned has always taken an industry leadership position where it concerns environmental stewardship, a position that extends to the planet and the communities that host our growing portfolio of hyperscale data center campuses across the Americas. That’s why we’re excited to embark on two new partnerships that will ensure our world becomes just a little bit greener, even as we continue to grow along with our customers as their businesses demand.
Our next agenda?
Trees.
That’s right. And we’ll explain.
But first, a little background.
Approaching Earth Day, a Red Flag
Healthy, strong trees act as carbon sinks, offsetting carbon and reducing the effects of climate change. A single, mature tree can absorb an average of 22 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. Trees not only help cool the planet by absorbing and storing harmful greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, but they also release oxygen back into the atmosphere.
Trees also play a key role in capturing rainwater and reducing the risk of natural disasters like floods and landslides. Their intricate root systems act like filters, removing pollutants and slowing down water’s absorption into the soil. Plus, a single tree can be home to hundreds of species of mammals, insects, fungi, moss, and other plants.
As encouraging as that may be, since 1990, forests worldwide have decreased by 80 million hectares. That’s more than 308,880 square miles, or the equivalent of the land mass of the states of Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and New Hampshire. Between 2020 and 2015, the rate of deforestation was estimated at 10 million hectares per year, and tropical tree loss is now causing more emissions every year than 85 million cars would cause over their entire lifecycles.
On this Earth Day, the annual event that demonstrates world support for environmental protection, we’re announcing a new initiative focused on reforestation and fruit donation to local community food banks.
Planting Trees and Bearing Fruit
Today, Aligned announced a partnership with One Tree Planted and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation to do our part to reverse deforestation, and thereby expand our commitment to fostering a greener, cleaner, and healthier planet.
In the last ten years, One Tree Planted has planted over 135.5 million trees with 378 partners across 82 countries in North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific.
Aligned will join One Tree Planted in helping reforestation efforts in areas hurt by forest fires in the region surrounding our Hillsboro, Oregon, and Phoenix, Arizona, hyperscale data center campuses. Aligned will help One Tree plant and maintain more than 50,000 trees per year for the next five years, totaling more than a quarter of a million trees, which will breathe new life across 760 acres.
The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation has helped communities plant a collective total of 18 billion fruit trees — or roughly three fruit trees for every person on the planet –– while encouraging their growth under organic standards. On average, every year, the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation plants more than 60 orchards and distributes tens of thousands of fruit trees around the world, along with providing training and education.
Aligned will partner with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation to plant two orchards in Phoenix, with future plans to plant two orchards a year in every Aligned data center market in U.S. Not only will this program benefit the climate, but the fruit trees’ yield will also provide sustenance to local community food banks.
Active involvement in tree planting programs can enhance a community’s sense of pride and environmental responsibility. If you’d like to join Aligned in supporting either of these worthwhile 501(c) (3) tax-exempt, non-profit organizations, visit One Tree Planted at www.onetreeplanted.org, and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation at www.ftpf.org.
