Word Forest

As November turns to December, shop windows fill with bright offers and festive buzz fills the air. But amid the excitement of the season, there’s another way to celebrate – one that gives back to the planet and helps communities grow stronger. Listen to our latest episode to hear about ways you can make conscious choices while still enjoying some festive retail! Read this article here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wordforest.org/2025/11/28/green-friday-growing-goodness-together/⁠ Donate to our Classroom for Christmas campaign: ⁠wordforest.org/oneclassroom/

It is time to let a very large and exciting cat out of the bag! On Tuesday 1st April 2025, with great humility and joy, Tracey West handed the baton of CEO to our dear colleague, Simon West, the other co-founder of Word Forest. Listen to our latest episode to hear about all the wonderful work Simon has done over the years and how this changing of the guard will drive us forward to new heights! Read this article here: ⁠⁠⁠wordforest.org/2025/03/31/handing-over-the-torch/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wordforest.org/donate/

As a small charity with a big mission—reforesting the tropics and protecting communities on the frontlines of climate change—we rarely comment on global trade policy. But when international decisions begin to ripple through the systems we depend on, it’s important to share what that means for our work—and how our supporters can help. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2025/04/07/how-global-trade-turmoil-could-impact-the-fight-against-climate-change/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wordforest.org/donate/

A new year, a new series. Here you'll find all of our 2025 articles in podcast form! Teach the Future is a campaign led by secondary and tertiary education students to greatly improve education on the climate emergency and ecological crisis in the UK. Word Forest has been a supporter of their mission since they were founded in 2019. Today’s article, written by Nico King, explains what they are doing to achieve their aims. Read this article here: ⁠⁠wordforest.org/2025/02/10/teach-the-future/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠wordforest.org/donate/

This season comes to a close with our last article from 2024. Christmas in rural Kenya is a joyous occasion, marked by unique traditions, heartfelt gratitude, and a spirit of togetherness that brings communities closer. This episode combines reflections from two distinct parts of Kenya - Garashi and Rusinga Island - to paint a vivid picture of how this special day is celebrated. Both contributions offer an authentic glimpse into the festive season as experienced by the Mothers of the Forest and their communities, supported by Word Forest. Read this article here: ⁠wordforest.org/2024/12/25/how-christmas-is-celebrated-in-rural-kenya/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠⁠⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Word Forest is an ambitious charity. As well as aiming high to mitigate our climate emergency, we’re also doing all we can to arm the leaders of the future with the information they need to make the best decisions possible. We’ve been working with Dr Fiona Whitehouse, Head of the Internship Office at the University of Oxford for the past few years. It has been a pleasure to offer their undergraduates a chunky range of internship opportunities that they can really sink their teeth into. In today's episode, find out about their amazing work and the opportunities we provide. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/10/21/our-internship-opportunities-with-the-university-of-oxford/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Scotland, known for its rugged landscapes, misty lochs and ancient castles, also boasts a rich diversity of tree species that contribute to its unique and picturesque scenery. From the iconic Caledonian pine forests to the delicate rowans scattered across the highlands, Scotland’s trees are an integral part of its natural heritage, besides playing a crucial role in the country’s ecology. But what are these trees and what are they called? Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/08/26/exploring-scotlands-diverse-tree-species-a-glimpse-into-the-countrys-arboreal-riches/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Here’s a reflection from our Kenyan team on International Day of Forests this year. We mark this day in March by creating awareness of the importance of creating new and conserving existing forests. During this day everyone is encouraged to undertake activities involving forests by highlighting the importance of ecosystems in the fight against climate change. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/08/09/international-day-of-forests/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Permaculture – the idea of living lightly on the planet – has been around for half a century. For some, it’s a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of living. For those living in countries devastated by climate change, it can be the difference between life and death. In this series of three articles, we explore the 12 permaculture principles and how the communities in Kenya are using permaculture to live securely on the land. Part 1 and Part 2 cover the principles of permaculture. This part describes the challenges the communities in Kenya face and how Word Forest is supporting them as they develop permaculture practices to survive and thrive. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/08/02/permaculture-principles-and-practice-part-3/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Permaculture – the idea of living lightly on the planet – has been around for half a century. For some, it’s a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of living. For those living in countries devastated by climate change, it can be the difference between life and death. In this series of three articles, we explore the 12 permaculture principles and how the communities in Kenya are using permaculture to live securely on the land. This part covers the second six principles. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/07/26/permaculture-principles-and-practice-part-2/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Permaculture – the idea of living lightly on the planet – has been around for half a century. For some, it’s a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of living. For those living in countries devastated by climate change, it can be the difference between life and death. In this series of three articles, we explore the 12 principles of permaculture and how the communities in Kenya are using permaculture to live securely on the land. In this article, we introduce the origins of permaculture and the first six principles, which focus on the bottom-up perspective of elements, organisms and individuals. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/07/19/permaculture-principles-and-practice/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

This lovely article from our Kenyan colleague shows how women’s lives are being transformed through education and empowerment. Thank you to all our supporters for facilitating this work. "Behind every great woman in Kenya, there is another great woman!..." Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/07/12/the-strength-of-a-woman/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Trees have long been revered by the Celtic peoples for their wisdom, and used as crafting materials and even for their healing properties. It is no wonder that they are often so central to the stories that have carried through the ages and are described in such great detail despite their perceived simplicity. In this series we will explore native UK species and their place in the great tales of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and beyond. Today is the summer solstice, a time associated with light and the banishing of demons and evil spirits. The Celts believed that the sun’s intense heat would burn away darkness and open the path to the abundance and wealth of the summer and harvest months. It is also a time associated with one tree related story in particular: the ever raging battle between the kings of holly and oak. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/06/21/trees-and-their-place-in-celtic-mythology/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Over the past 18 months, our Permaculture Teaching Centre in Garashi has made a significant positive impact on tree planting communities across rural Kenya. Its very existence has proved to be an absolute blessing, strengthening our ability to reforest the country and mitigate our global climate crisis. However, having a great educational establishment is one thing; having access to reliable data and communications is quite another. Digital communications, particularly across rural Kenya, are deteriorating due to several factors, including frequent power outages, ageing infrastructure, bandwidth limitations and connectivity problems caused by extreme weather events. We’ve identified three essential steps to solving this problem. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/06/13/abc-fundraiser-for-digital-data-will-save-lives/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

This is a lovely article by Cyprian Ogoti, environmental journalist and passionate conservationist in Kenya, about why inclusivity is important and the difference supporting women as well as men can make. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/05/24/support-for-women-in-conservation/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Our Special Scientific Advisor, Professor Bill McGuire recently penned an article for The Guardian. As shocking to the core as it is, we are delighted to reproduce it verbatim with Bill’s kind permission. We hope it nudges you to take more responsibility for the precarious situation the planet is in meteorologically and climatically. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/04/19/46c-summer-days-and-supercell-storms-are-britains-future-and-now-is-our-last-chance-to-prepare/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Our co-founders, Tracey and Simon West, are thrilled to announce the launch of a brand new fundraiser for us called Wordplay. It’s a monthly poetry and spoken word event which will be held in the Leigh Brown Room at the Unitarian Hall in Sidmouth. Simon comments: “Wordplay will give poets and writers of prose a chance to perform their work with a microphone, perhaps for the first time, in front of an appreciative audience. It’s always fascinating listening to pieces performed by their creators in the way they envisioned they would be. The South West is teeming with talent and I can’t wait to open the doors to let the wordy magic happen!” Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/04/12/sidmouth-celebration-of-the-spoken-word-helps-combat-the-climate-crisis/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: wordforest.org/donate/

Our decision to ensure the UN’s International Day of Forests would always fall within Word Forest’s Trees Are The Key Awareness Week, was a deliberate one. This amazing celebratory day for biodiversity always occurs on the 21st of March and this year, it fell on a Thursday... Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/04/05/celebrating-the-international-day-of-forests-on-rusinga-island/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

Time flies by when you’re having fun and over the past week, we had lots of that and the week has whizzed past. Our mission was to help you forge a deeper connection with trees and the natural spaces that surround you. We really hope you enjoyed the features and articles we posted, as much as we enjoyed creating them. Read this article here: wordforest.org/2024/03/24/trees-are-the-key-awareness-week-2024-its-a-wrap/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/

In December 2023, our co-founders, Tracey and Simon West started hosting a monthly fundraiser: the Word Forest Bring & Share Vegan Lunch. It was such fun and so successful, it swiftly moved to being a regular event on our calendar. Click here to find out more about the lunches and to check forthcoming dates. Read this article and access the links and resources discussed in this episode here: ⁠https://www.wordforest.org/2024/03/23/word-forest-bring-share-vegan-lunches/ Donate to our fight against the climate crisis here: ⁠wordforest.org/donate/