<h1 id="h3">Our Mission & Story</h1>
<p>ONE TREE mission is to inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the natural environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share the process as a model for the world. Conservation &amp; preservation are the keys to bringing the earth back into balance<br />One Tree inspired a movement. Read our story, see what’s come from the inspiration, and meet the people who continue the legacy.<br /><br />Our first effort began in 1991 at The University of Massachusetts at Amherst focused on educating and inspiring people to plant and care for trees and to send a message to the world of peace to the Middle East and in our own backyard, here in the USA. Why? Because more trees means less carbon dioxide, cooler temperatures, cleaner air, replenished groundwater supplies and a safer, more beautiful environment. Preserving the rainforest and expanding the fruit tree program throughout the United States provides a foundational step of creating the next generation of environmental stewards throughout the world. But the worsening impacts of global warming, the looming threat of water shortages, and the decline of rainforest preservation tell us we need to act now.</p>