FAQs
ABOUT GROW-TREES.COM
What is Grow-Trees.com?
Grow-Trees.com is a social enterprise that provides a unique Greet with Trees® service that allows individuals and corporates to commemorate special occasions by planting trees on behalf of family, friends or employees, in projects initiated by our organisation in the rural sectors of India.
Is Grow-Trees.com a non-profit organisation/NGO?
We are a socially beneficial business that differentiates us from a non-profit organisation. Grow-Trees.com is continually innovating to satisfy private needs for which individuals and companies will be willing to pay while doing social good.
Our organisation has Planting Partners at or close to project sites that conduct tree planting using local labour. Planting Partners develop nurseries, select appropriate sites in consultation with local communities, plant trees, and nurture them during the crucial stage of their infancy. Grow-Trees.com's Planting Partners work with local authorities and local communities to plant trees in public lands, wildlife habitats, communal holy places, school and government-owned deforested or denuded areas. Grow-Trees.com does not plant on private land.
Grow-Tree.com is affiliated with the United Nation's Environment Program's Billion Tree Campaign and WWF's Cities for Forests Campaign have acknowledged us as an Official Partner. The Harvard Business School Alumni Bulletin has recognised and acknowledged the work done by Grow-Trees.com.
The Global Impact Steering Committee of Young Presidents' Organization-World Presidents' Organization (YPO/WPO) has featured our Founder- Mr. Pradip Shah as a member working to make the world a better place and as an example of an “extraordinary member doing extraordinary things”.
ABOUT OUR PROJECTS
Grow-Trees.com has 65+ projects spread across 23 states and 1 Union Territory - Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Delhi (UT) in India. Grow-Trees.com has also initiated a project in Cherangani Hills in Kenya, taking a step towards spreading its wings internationally.
Our projects aim to generate environmental and/or social impact. We plant trees to restore forests, improve wildlife habitats, rejuvenate rivers, support rural livelihoods, etc. On average, a tree offsets 20 kgs of carbon and produces 118 kgs of oxygen annually, reversing the effects of adverse climatic conditions and natural phenomena. The projects also provide employment to local communities, ensuring their socio-economic sustainability.
Grow-trees.com selects specialists as Planting Partners, based on their track record in tree planting, organisational strength, willingness to maintain records and offer them for audit, and their ability to work with local authorities and communities.
ABOUT OUR TREES
Our Planting Partners are carefully selected by us based on their reputation and track record. To ensure the integrity of the work our Planting Partners do, we get our planting sites independently audited after the first year of planting.
The auditors physically verify the total number of saplings planted along with the species of the saplings and tally the same with our financial records. In addition to this, the auditors interact with the local communities and the local village panchayat to measure their participation in the project, study the mortality rate of the trees planted and report any other observations made during the audit.
Based on these parameters the auditors form a holistic evaluation of the plantation project.
We update supporters of our efforts via our Website (Photos, Blog, Project Page), Social Media handles, and monthly Newsletters. To subscribe to our Newsletter, click here.
Of course, you can. Using the Locate Tree feature on our website, you can determine the project location/region in which your tree(s) has been planted on Google Maps. However, if any company/individual adopts the entire project, we arrange a site visit during the time of plantation.
Can I choose an area to plant trees?
Currently, we allow users to plant trees in our existing projects only. However, you can decide which project to plant in.
The variety of trees planted depends upon agro-climatic conditions and the benefit of those trees in terms of flowers, fruits, fodder, fuel, and non-timber forest produce for the local community as well as insects, birds and animals of the particular project location. All trees species planted will be local to the planting site. To know more click here.
We allow you to choose a project. But the species of trees is determined by the Planting Partners who have years of local experience and determine what species is best suited to the agro-climatic conditions in the region.
The planting process is systematically done. A nursery is created and maintained until the saplings are ready to be planted. The plantation of saplings takes place during the Indian monsoon season (July-August-September) to ensure higher survivability.
Our Planting Partners have substantial experience in assuring trees’ survivability. Our Planting Partners plant a new tree for every tree that does not survive the first year of planting. However, all life on earth is tenuous and we cannot undertake an unconditional guarantee of the survival of trees we plant.
Given the scale on which we plant and community participation during the process, it is not possible to link an individual to a tree. We plant trees only on public lands for the benefit of the environment and the local communities in that region who bear the responsibility of maintaining the trees.
However, using our Locate Tree feature you can connect with our projects virtually on Google Maps.
Our trees are planted only on government or community/public land so they can benefit the maximum number of people. The tree belongs to the community which benefits from its planting. Your gift of a tree is a gift to the society and a gift to the planet. Neither Grow-Trees.com nor our financial supporters own any of the trees planted.
No, Grow-Trees.com does not sell tree saplings.
YOUR ACCOUNT
No, you can buy and gift/greet trees without an account. However, creating a lifetime account offers the convenience of storing trees in your TreeBank™ for later use, viewing your planting and gifting history, creating a gifting schedule as well as other interactive features.
How do I Greet with Trees®?
Our site provides two options to Greet with Trees®.
Option 1: One to Many
An individual (Sender) can plant one or multiple trees in honour of a friend, family member, co-worker, etc. (the Recipient) to commemorate a birthday, an anniversary or any other occasion. The individual must select an eTreeCertificate® or eTreeCard™ template, fill in the requisite details and pay online for the transaction.
After the transaction is complete, the Recipient will receive the eTreeCertificate® via email on a date chosen by the Sender.
Option 2: Many to One (Grove/Group Greeting)Private Grove
An individual (Grove Initiator) can start a Grove by planting a minimum of 10 trees and subsequently inviting other people (Invitees) via email to plant as many trees as they like in the same Grove to honour a friend, family member, co-worker, etc. (the Recipient) to commemorate a birthday, an anniversary or any other occasion.
When a Grove Initiator starts a Grove, they must set an end date. Up until that end date, Invitees to the Grove can plant trees and/or leave wishes for the Recipient of the Grove on the Grove Page. After the end date, the Recipient will receive an eTreeCertificate® specifying the number of trees planted as well as the wishes & comments left on the Grove Page by the Invitees. The number of trees planted by each Invitee will be known only to the Recipient and the Grove Initiator.
Public GroveA Grove Initiator can start a Public Grove for a celebrity or a public figure in the same manner as a Private Grove. As the name suggests, a Public Grove is open to everyone. Anyone (Planter) can plant a tree in a Public Grove by visiting the Grove Page on our website. In a Public Grove, the number of trees you plant will be visible to all the Planters and the Recipient(s). Names will be displayed in the certificate in alphabetical order of first and last names.
Yes! The Grove option allows you to start a Grove for yourself or for another by planting a minimum of 10 trees and subsequently inviting family and friends via email, to plant trees by visiting your Grove Page and/or leaving comments or wishes.
Not at all! Gifting a tree is just one of the many reasons to plant a tree. You can also offset carbon and get an eTreeCertificate® for yourself or store the trees in your TreeBank™ for later use.
eTreeCertificate® OR eTreeCard™
An eTreeCertificate® allows you to greet someone with a small message of 130 characters. An eTreeCard™ provides more space for your message and also allows you to customise the font (style/size). An eTreeCard™ is akin to any greeting card but it is produced and sent digitally.
It will be sent instantly on receiving successful confirmation from the payment gateway unless you choose for it to be post-dated. It will be sent out at 05:00 hours Indian Standard Time (IST) on the designated date (IST is GMT +5:30 hours). In case of any technical difficulty, if the eTreeCertificate® or eTreeCard™ is delayed, you can email us at info@grow-trees.com.
You will get an automated email from our server when your certificates are sent out to the recipient(s). You can also enter your email address to receive a copy of the certificate.
Currently, we do not have this provision on our website, but you are certainly free to do it yourself. There are two ways: Enter your own email id in the Recipient’s email box, have the certificate delivered to you, download and print it. Alternatively, access your planting history in the My Account section, and print the certificate from there (if you are not a member, you can become a member anytime, and all your past transactions will immediately be updated in the My Account > History section).
Yes, you can upload a picture or your company's logo. Send co-branded eTreeCertificates® to clients, employees or dealers and add a personal touch by adding a picture when greeting family and friends.
You can edit the email id in the eTreeCertificates® tab in your account. Otherwise, email us at info@grow-trees.com and we would be happy to change it for you.
Please email us at info@grow-trees.com and we will make whatever changes you require.
PAYMENT
The cost per tree is calculated keeping in mind the actual cost of the sapling, the process of planting (nursery creation, pit digging, planting, watering, maintenance & administrative costs) and other features such as the eTreeCertificate®, technical support and the cost of auditing the project site a year after plantation.
The small surplus that our organisation makes is reinvested in new projects.
You can pay online using all widely accepted debit cards, credit cards, net banking, Paytm or other mobile payments.
To pay by cheque you will have to get in touch with our office and give the requisite information. On receiving the cheque from your end, we will issue the eTreeCertificate® to you via email.
We DO NOT provide a cash payment facility.
Unfortunately, no, as we place back to back orders with our planting partners.
