Planting Gratitude One Tree at a Time with Vikas Narula

What can trees teach us about gratitude?  In this episode, we're going to find out! 

We're going to be chatting about....trees...yup - trees and one man's journey to give every child the priceless joy of planting and watching a tree grow.  We'll learn about how a simple tree can help instill in us  a sense of magic, wonder, gratitude and love for our planet.

Vikas Narula has always had a love for trees and in 2010, after a death-bed experience, founded an organization called Neighborhood Forest.  Since 2010, Neighborhood Forest has reached over 400 schools, libraries, and youth groups – over 100,000 families – and planted over 50,000 trees through the hands of children and parents across North America.  In 2021, through a series of amazing events and people, Neighborhood Forest went viral and gave almost 20,000  kids in 35 states their very own tree to plant on Earth Day this year!

This conversation hit home for me as I remember when I was in 3rd or 4th grade and got a pine tree seedling on Earth Day.  I walked home with excitement for the opportunity to plant and take care of this tree.  Even after a transplanting to a new home when we moved, my tree thrived and is standing about 40 feet tall today and it still brings a sense of joy and wonder every time I see it when I come back to my childhoood home.

So join us to hear more about Vikas's personal journey which isn't unlike the journey of a tree from seedling to something that creates a beautiful and incredible impact on our environment. It's a journey filled with hope, challenges, a death-bed experience and incredible gratitude.  

To learn more about Vikas and Neighborhood Forest, click here: https://www.neighborhoodforest.org/