Visit the ‘SAG Awards Forest,’ in partnership with Patagonia Sur

Although Hollywood and Chilean Patagonia are thousands of miles apart, the two regions are united in a unique and significant way. This year, in a battle against climate change, the Screen Actors Guild Awards is partnering with Chile’s Patagonia Sur, a leading for-profit conservation company in South America, to plant 3,400 trees (two for each of the 1,700 guests at the 2013 Post SAG Awards Gala hosted by People magazine and the Entertainment Industry Foundation). 

What will planting 3,400 trees do? 

A lot, especially if you consider the promise that even one tree holds. In 2010, Patagonia Sur launched a reforestation project at its 8,000-acre Valle California property in southern Chile, hoping to enhance biodiversity and sell carbon offsets. A single tree planted in Valle California will sequester nearly half a ton of carbon over an 80-year period. 

Patagonia Sur’s Reforestation and Biodiversity Project has been certified by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and is helping to regenerate one of the planet’s most vital yet threatened ecosystems in Chilean Patagonia. This year’s partnership continues our commitment to green practices. For the fourth consecutive year, the SAG Awards was honored with the Environmental Media Association’s Green Seal in October 2012, which recognizes the production’s outstanding efforts to implement sustainable initiatives and promote environmental awareness, while creating a nearly zero waste event. 

How can you get involved? You can plant your own tree in the “SAG Awards Forest” here to offset your personal carbon footprint, and you can even see the exact location of your tree in Chilean Patagonia. Inspired viewers can also calculate their own carbon footprint based on factors such as air travel, ground transportation, electricity and diet. 

Click here to find out more about this exciting reforestation partnership.