Find out more about Acción Verde, a campaign in which the companies Aviatur, Copa Airlines Colombia and Acción Verde together with the Columbian Ministry of Environment and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) unite their efforts to promote one of the most ambitious initiatives in Columbia: the mitigation of climate change by means of protective reforestation.

There is scientific evidence that the effects of climate change are real and that they can be felt on the planet. There is also evidence that the most vulnerable people are most affected: They suffer land slides, inundations, draughts, hurricanes, seaquakes and other very severe and each time stronger recurring effects.

For this reason there is an urgent need that the private sector takes action in this matter or even better in this campaign, and this is where Acción Verde is born: Copa Airlines Colombia and Aviatur have decided to make an effective contribution to mitigating the climate change in the following way:

• New technologies in aeronautical engineering
• Saving fuel and energy.

Additionally, there is a clear understanding that there is a need to lead the national and international process. Therefore, other actions have been undertaken, such as offering actions to the Columbian public in form of the campaign "Let’s reforest - a mitigation of climate change". These actions include planting trees with very special features, for example only truly native Columbian specimen are planted, and they are only planted in natural reserves, in ecosystems that have been declared Biosphere Reserves (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Tuparro Ecosystem - Vichada) and World Heritage. The natural park Tuparro was declared a national monument in 1982 and is the core zone of the Biosphere Reserve.

Every tree will have a double effect. Firstly, it is a place of environmental restoration for the protection of water sources, the protection of hydrographic basins, the creation of ecological corridors, the recovery of pasturised land, the protection of natural parks, etc. The second effect is global. Every tree that is planted absorbs dangerous greenhouse gases, and trees are effective in capturing CO2 and emission of pure oxygen (O2).

People can become aware of their personal environmental impact by cooperating and planting one or many trees, which will mitigate their effects on the planet. herefore, Copa Airlines Colombia and Aviatur offer their facilities and technical abilities to facilitate people and companies to mobilize contributions to planting native Columbian trees in places that are strategic for our planet Earth.

An alliance has been created between Aviatur, the Foundation Aviatur and Copa Airlines Colombia (Areo República) with Acción Verde in order to create an awareness in the public about the importance to take action for the planet; it offers the clientele as a whole the option of mitigating the environmental impacts of flights or the tourist reserves by means of planting trees.

Every passenger will have the opportunity to donate money in units of five thousand pesos ($5,000.00) and up to the amount they wish to donate, which will be used to complete the necessary actions to plant one (1) or many trees. For the development of this alliance Acción Verde has offered to cover the costs for planting and maintaining every tree that is worth ten thousand pesos ($10,000.00) for three (3) consecutive years.

By means of the monthly cuts of the value of the collection it will be possible to estimate the number of trees that will have to be planted Every tree will have a serial number to be able to identify it. They will be reported online (accionverde.org.co) – including their geographical position and as part of the United Nations Environment Programme in its project “Let’s Plant a Tree for the Planet”.

These trees will only be native specimen used exclusively for the protective reforestation and will never be cut down; they will only be planted in Columbian forest reserves.

Passengers can make their voluntary donations in the sales offices of Copa Airlines Colombia (Aero República) and Aviatur.

Acción Verde - árbol por árbol, salvando el planeta ® (saving the planet tree by tree) is part of a global initiative of the United Nations attempting to plant millions of trees on the planet in order to mitigate the severe effects of climate change. Trees capture CO2 (a gas that causes climate change) and exhale pure oxygen (O2), but they also restore the native fauna and flora, maintain water control, consolidate the soils and improve the landscape, and all this and much more is done by planting trees. We are talking about a need, nearly an obligation, because it is our own future that is at stake. Our slogan is “saving the planet tree by tree”. For more information visit accionverde.org.co.