The #TeamTrees challenge
The project uses the Hash Tag #TeamTrees: “More than 600 YouTubers are teaming up to take on one of the biggest fundraising challenges the platform has ever seen: raising $20 million by the end of the year to plant 20 million trees.”
Jimmy Donaldson more commonly known as MrBeast was born on May 7, 1998) is a US-based You Tuber whose history is described by WIkipedia: “Donaldson began YouTube in 2012[4] at age 13, under the handle “MrBeast6000”; his early content ranged from Let’s Plays to “videos estimating the wealth of other YouTubers”.[5] However, his videos remained in relative obscurity — averaging around a thousand views each – until the release of his 2017 “counting to 100,000” video that “earned tens of thousands of views in just a few days”.[5] As of October 2019, Donaldson has over 25 million subscribers on YouTube and is managed by the Dallas-based talent management company Night Media.[4]”
Musk encouraged to donate by a Tesla fan
The program is also partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation. Donaldson has already raised more than $6 million. Musk was prodded into making a donation by Marques Brownlee who has already made a large donation. Brownlee is a strong Tesla fan and has even interviewed Musk.
Brownlee is another prominent You Tuber: “Marques K. Brownlee (/mɑːrˈkɛz ˈkiːθ ˈbraʊnliː/ mar-KEZ KEETH BROWN-lee; born December 3, 1993), also known professionally as MKBHD, is an American YouTuber, best known for his technology-focused videos. The channel, whose name is a concatenation of MKB (Brownlee’s initials) and HD (for high-definition),[4] has over 9 million subscribers and over 1.40 billion total video views. In August 2013, Vic Gundotra, former Senior Vice President, Social for Google,[5][6] called Brownlee “the best technology reviewer on the planet right now”.[4][7] During one of the 2016 Democratic presidential primary debates that was cosponsored by YouTube, Brownlee asked the candidates, by video, whether tech companies and the government can find a middle ground over encryption while considering rights to privacy and national security.[8]”
The other day Musk asked about the type of trees being planted. Donaldson noted that the trees are being planted on every continent except Antartica and the type of trees planted will depend upon the location of the planting. When Brownlee added that the project was partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation. Musk replied that the program sounded legitimate and he pledged to donate one million trees.
Wikipedia describes the Arbor Day Foundation: “The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation and education organization founded in 1972 in Nebraska, United States, by John Rosenow. It is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to tree planting.[1] The Foundation’s stated corporate mission is “to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.”[2] The Foundation programs are supported by members, donors, and corporate sponsors that share the same vision of a healthier and greener world.[2]”
Musk did follow through in the past on a promise to help install UV water filtration systems for the water fountains of schools in Flint Michingan during the water crisis there.
Musk’s cash problem
A recent article notes Tesla is involved in a defamation suit launched by a UK diver Vernon Unsworth: ” …in a recent court filing, Musk told lawyers representing Unsworth that, despite his massive stock holdings in Tesla and SpaceX, he was financially illiquid, according to The Los Angeles Times. That means his insurer, American International Group Inc., may get involved in any potential court settlement or financial payout as a result of the case. It also means it’s an open question whether Musk has the cash on hand to help MrBeast plant all those trees for charity.”
