Over 600 YouTubers are teaming up with MrBeast to take on one of the biggest fundraising challenges the platform has ever seen. #TeamTrees project aims to raise 20$ million by 2022 to plant 20 million trees.
Mr. Beast
21-year-old Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson is well known for his philanthropic work on YouTube. People love his videos because they are outrageously fulfilling to watch. For example, in one video, MrBeast tips gold bars to waitresses, while another he opens a free car dealership. Additionally, he started the world’s first free store to donate thousands of dollars to online streamers.
Jimmy’s acts of charity have captured the audience of millions, and in no time, he became one of the largest creators on the platform.
Team Members
The fundraising challenge is being organized by MrBeast. Major YouTubers who are lending their channels to the cause include, Marshmello (40.2M), Jacksepticeye (22.9M), Ninja (22.4M), Slow Mo Guys (13M), Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee (9.5M), Mark Rober (8.7M subscribers), Smarter Every Day (7.3M), iJustine (6.1M), Rhett & Link (4.5M), The Simone Giertz (1.9M), and more.
Donaldson describes the effort as the “largest youtube collaboration of all time.” He has invited any other YouTuber who’s interested in joining in on the fun too.
Elon Musk Donates $1 Million
Billionaire Elon Musk donated $1 million for 1 million trees once the campaign took off after some nudging from Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee, an avid Tesla fan. Musk’s donation is the largest donation the campaign has received so far.
The #TeamTrees Plan
YouTubers who upload a video will begin posting it with the hashtag – #TeamTrees- asking viewers to donate to the cause. YouTube has already confirmed that they will cover all transaction fees for donations made on the platform. The main goal is to fill YouTube with fundraising videos so that there’s an overwhelming amount of videos about the subject on the platform’s trending pages, on people’s homepages, and recommendations.
When Did #TeamTrees Begin?
The initiative started in May 2019, after several months of YouTube, Reddit, and Twitter fans suggesting MrBeast to plant 20 million trees to celebrate his 20 million subscribers milestone on YouTube. Donaldson thrives from challenges like this, so it’s no surprise he jumped on his fans’ request. Donaldson assures that with #TeamTree fundraiser every dollar donated, a tree will be planted.
Donaldson said:
We want to show that YouTube isn’t just a drama fest. We actually have real influence and can make real change.
Partnerships
In October 2019, MrBeast teamed up with Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer, and current YouTuber. Mark Rober is already contributing towards the planet by using drones to plant trees.
Rober said:
We know that 20 million trees isn’t going to cure climate change. But the point here is to end the decade on a super strong note. It’s a constructive way to send a message to the politicians that it’s freaking time to do something about climate change.
Donaldson called out to his fans to see how many trees they could plant on their own. However, despite their combined efforts, they only managed to plant 1,500 trees within a couple of days. “Unfortunately, despite having a large number of people, we came nowhere near to planting 20 million trees, but I don’t want to let you guys down, so I devised a plan where we can actually plant 20 million trees. But I need your help,” MrBeast explains.
To achieve his ultimate goal, Donaldson partnered up with the Arbor Day Foundation, one of the largest nonprofit conservation organizations in the world. The Arbor Day Foundation, dedicated to planting and nurturing trees, is currently in the middle of its own challenge – intending to plant 100 million trees by 2022.
When And Where Will All The Trees Be Planted?
The tree planting activity will start in January 2020 and will complete planting all 20 million no later than December 2022. Many trees will be planted in National Parks around the United States and also internationally.
The teamtrees.org website states:
Due to the sheer volume of trees planted (20 million), they will be planted in a variety of forests on public and private lands in areas of great need. Many of these forests will be state and national forests managed by government agencies. The goal is to plant trees on every continent, not named Antarctica!.
Support
With thousands of people backing MrBeast’s project, the fundraiser has already become a huge success. YouTube has also shown an interest in the global project, as #TeamTree has become a popular hashtag on its platform. It’s nice to see so many joining hands towards a common goal to save the planet.
So far, over $15 million has been raised for the cause. You can see a live count on its website: $15 million = 15 million trees.
Possible Plans For The Future
This project has inspired many fans with ideas they want MrBeast to put into reality in the future. Listed below are some of the goals that fans hope Donaldson can accomplish:
2019: Planting 20 million trees.
2020: Cleaning 20 million pounds of trash from the ocean.
2020: Ending world hunger
2021: Establishing world peace
Check out MrBeast’s #TeamTrees challenge video below:
