Software funds tree planting as users print

Print A Forest is a free application which, for every one hundred pages printed, donates money from sponsorship revenue towards the planting of a tree.

We’ve recently seen companies such as Ark and Givmo converting consumers’ online activity into donations for charity. This ‘click and give’ model is also the concept behind Print A Forest, but instead of donations, for every one hundred pages printed one tree is planted. Concerned by the volume of paper he was printing as a student, even more so when he considered the number of students worldwide, Joe Miller founded Print a Forest. Miller realized if print reduction is not a realistic solution, offsetting environmental damage is the next best thing. Print a Forest is a free application which users download to their PC. A branded footnote from sponsors appears in the unused margin at the bottom of the page, and as users print via the Plant A Tree virtual printer, a portion of the sponsorship revenue is donated to the Plant a Billion Trees campaign, which plants one tree for every US dollar received. Universities are incentivized to use the software, with Print a Forest offering donations towards funding for green initiatives. If users do not wish to print using the Print a Forest software, they simply select their usual printer. As competition in the charity market increases, not-for-profit organizations need to employ alternative fundraising tactics to remove the hassle of donating for prospective supporters. How could you harness the power of the ‘click and give’ model to do good in your area? Spotted by: Katharina Kieck