This story was originally published in the second issue of The Bear Truth (November 14, 2019).

YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson or better known as MrBeast, with the help of 600 other YouTubers, has taken on the biggest fundraising challenge: to make 20 million dollars to plant 20 million trees by 2020. In order to earn the money, all YouTubers involved will post a video with the hashtag “#TeamTrees.” This will allow viewers to donate $1 to help support the cause, and so far they have earned $4 million. The trees will begin to be planted in January 2020 and finished in December 2020. 

This all started when MrBeast’s subscribers came up with idea in celebration of hitting 20 million subscribers: he would plant 20 million trees. To make this possible MrBeast collaborated with the Arbor Day Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps people plant trees and care for them along the way. MrBeast wants to show people that YouTube is not all about drama like it’s made out to be, and that people can actually come together and make a change for the environment.

By planting 20 million trees it can really help our environment in a huge way by fighting climate change, giving back the life to trees that were once destroyed, and by collecting carbon gasses. Climate change occurs when changes in Earth’s climate system results in a new weather pattern that stays for a long period of time. Climate change can be caused by humans or it can happen naturally. Peoples activities can affect climate change in the atmosphere in the amounts of greenhouse gases. One of the largest known addition comes from the burning of fossil fuels which releases carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere. By planting these trees it would collect all the carbon that is being put into the air.

 Supporting this cause could really help the environment in a positive way. If you go to teamtrees.org you can either plant 5 trees, 20 trees, or 100 trees just for $1. Our mother earth has always taken care of us since the beginning of time many of our ancestors lived off the land that provided for their families. It’s time that we give something back to better our future.