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More trees, please!

Antje — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:59:46 +0000

This is awesome… the President of Mauritania is supporting a tree planting effort in the country!
The African Press covered it here:

>> Mauritania to plant 200,000 trees to protect capital from desertification

Tree week in Mauritania

Antje — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:45:27 +0000

It’s National Tree Week in Mauritania! Turns out the Mauritanian government is backing local tree planting efforts.

“Mauritania is focused on its objective to plant 384 000 saplings over 726 hectares (1800 acres) for reforestation in view of the struggle against the encroaching desert to reinforce the green belt in the capital,” said the minister, Ba El Housseynou.

Neem to help Haitians

Antje — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:52:07 +0000

Anyone on the ground working with earthquake victims in Haiti could use Neem to treat wounds and infections, especially if medicines are scarce. Neem is known to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. Ingesting it can boost the immune system, and applying it topically stimulates blood circulation.

Haiti supposedly has a plethora of Neem trees, planted by USAID and the Haitian Department of Agriculture during the last two decades. Some early reports say that Neem trees grow throughout the capital of Port-au-Prince, in the hills of the suburbs and along the streets. Those trees that survived the earthquake could now be used to help ward off infections and disease.

Disinfecting wounds with Neem

Rub a handful of fresh Neem leaves together or grind them into a paste
Apply the leaves to the wound to disinfect
(Fruit can also be used to create paste)

Treat infections internally with Neem

Eat one or two Neem leaves a day
Brew a tea with dried Neem leaves

Treating gum disease and mouth injuries
Chew on Neem leaves or twigs
Brew tea with dried Neem leaves

Neem trees can thrive in arid areas, and they require little surface water. They have oblong leaves with jagged edges and bear yellow, olive-sized fruit.

According to two researchers, Neem trees grow in and near Port-au-Prince. Particularly they observed that Neem trees were “a common sight in the suburbs of the capital and along the highways from the city… As many as 400,000 seedlings have been planted in recent years by the Haitian Department of Agriculture, mostly along thoroughfares.” (The article is from 1983, but perhaps the trees are still around?)

Source: Walther H. Lewis and Memory P.F. Elvin-Lewis Economic Botany, 37(1), 1983, pp. 69-70 (link to excerpt)

More Resources:

http://www.neemfoundation.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem

JustNeem and B Corporation

Nathan C. — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:02:11 +0000

JustNeem is proud to be a certified B Corporation.

As you may already know, JustNeem is not a typical small business. Like any business, we try hard to cut costs and increase profit margins, but we also consider social good as one of the driving factors behind our business. Where we buy our neem leaves and how we give back to that community in Mauritania is one of the most important aspects of this business. Because of our emphasis on influencing the world for social change, we became interested in a non-profit called B Lab which certifies businesses with “B Corporation” status. We are proud to be a B Corporation and are excited about the possibilities of networking with the other members and possibly even a modified IRS tax code in the future that would recognize B Corporations as a legal entity. For more information about B Lab and B Corporations, check out their site. And be sure to visit our B Corporation page as well.

From the B-Lab website:
We hold these truths to be self-evident:

That we must be the change we seek in the world.

That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.

That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.

To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.

The Traveling Neem Seed

Antje — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:09:12 +0000

The doorbell just rang, “It’s DHL!” The much-anticipated Neem seeds have arrived at our front door, all the way from Mauritania, West Africa, for our Christmas promotion. We weren’t sure how to get them across the ocean at first, until we heard that DHL ships from Mauritania, and in just 6 days, too.

Each of Holiday Gift Sets we’re selling this year will come with a pack of Neem seeds, as a special thank-you. And we’ll have planting instructions on our website, so you plant a Neem at home!

Soon, the Neem seeds will be wrapped and packaged, and sent out across the country…. Who knows, you might get a JustNeem Holiday set under you tree this Christmas.

Thank you, Craig, for bringing the Neem seeds the last leg of their journey.