Global cloud-computing company Salesforce has pledged to plant 100 million trees around the world by 2030. The grove of trees recently inaugurated by Salesforce Israel in KKL-JNF’s Yatir Forest - located in the semi-arid northern Negev - is another step towards fulfilling that pledge.
For the busload of
high-tech workers southbound from Tel Aviv, this was not just another team-building excursion. As employees of the multi-billion-dollar Salesforce company’s Israeli hub, they were on a special mission: to inaugurate a new grove of trees in the Yatir Forest in the Negev, as part of the company’s pledge to plant 100 million trees around the world by 2030.
The group arrived at the Foresters’ House, a former fortress situated atop a hill in the heart of
Yatir Forest. They were warmly welcomed by
Michael Ben Abu, KKL-JNF Director of the Israel Fundraising Department, and KKL-JNF’s Head Yatir Forester
Abed Abu-Alguian. Out on the roof terrace overlooking the 8000-acre green expanse, Ben Abu gave the group a brief history of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (affectionately known by Israelis as ‘KaKaL’), beginning with its establishment in 1901 at the 5th Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. “In the early days, KKL-JNF concentrated on purchasing land to create a state,” Ben Abu said. “Later efforts were invested in developing the land, in planting forests, and in creating water sources. KKL-JNF subsequently became Israel’s largest green organization, with friends and partners all over the world. “
“Look at the expanse of trees around us,” forester Abed Abu-Alguian added, gesturing towards the tree-covered horizon. “Just 60 years ago there was nary a tree to be seen in this region.” He then showed the group some black-and-white photographs, taken in the 1960’s from this very same spot, depicting completely denuded hills as far as the eye could see. “This shows exactly why the pledge made by Salesforce to plant trees is so important. Every single tree you see before your eyes was planted by hand.”
Salesforce is an American multi-national company that specializes in cloud-based software. Based in San Francisco, California, it has hubs all over the world. It provides a comprehensive customer relations management (CRM) platform, together with a complementary suite of applications for customer service, marketing automation, analytics, and development. The company is well-known for its major investments in environmental projects, as well as for its high level of employee satisfaction. Salesforce Israel has a workforce of around 800 employees, most of whom are software engineers.
At the KKL-JNF donor appreciation site at the base of the fortress, Salesforce’s Efi Cohen and Morin Chubook unveiled a plaque inaugurating the new Salesforce Grove in Yatir Forest. Inscribed in Hebrew and English with the light-blue Salesforce logo prominently displayed in the middle, the plaque reads: Planting the seeds for a
more sustainable future.
Similar wording featured on the framed Tree Planting Certificate presented by Michael Ben Abu to Salesforce Israel R&D Head Efi Cohen. Ben Abu also thanked Salesforce employees Eran Werner, Itai Barak, and Morin Chubook, who had liaised closely with KKL-JNF to help make the new Salesforce Grove a reality.
Ben Abu told the group that he saluted Salesforce’s firm commitment to advancing sustainability and environmental protection. “Your decision to plant a grove in Yatir Forest was the right decision, in the right place, at the right time. The Yatir Forest is the largest hand-planted forest in the country, and it provides us with living proof that it is possible to halt desertification and global warming.
Scientists from the Volcani Center, which is Israel’s agricultural research organization, carried out a long-term study of how a forest in a semi-arid region affects carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. They came up with surprising results. They found that carbon sequestration in Yatir is similar to that of the immense natural forests of Northern Europe. And as we know today, [atmospheric] carbon is the key detrimental element driving global
climate change”.
Efi Cohen, on behalf of Salesforce Israel, thanked the hub’s Earthforce group, which he called the “quality-assurance group” for the planet. “Thanks to your efforts, we are today inaugurating the first Salesforce grove in the Yatir Forest. At Salesforce we believe that business is the greatest platform for change. We know that even though we are a business concern we have a responsibility towards our society and our surroundings. And we all want to be proactive in that process. Salesforce is committed to zero-carbon emission and to using 100% renewable energy in all its offices in the world. Salesforce Israel is part of that, and we are very happy to be here partnering with KKL-JNF. The planting of this grove is the first of more to come.”
The entire group then traveled in jeeps to the site of the new grove, situated on a 13-acre plot. KKL-JNF forester Abu-Alguian was quick to point out that the saplings were planted 8 months ago - well before the start of the Jewish New Year and the onset of the Shmita, the biblically-mandated Sabbatical year in which the lands of Israel are left to lie fallow, and all agricultural activity - including plowing, planting, pruning and harvesting - is forbidden by Jewish law. “As you can see, each sapling has already reached a height of well over a meter and is protected by a plastic sleeve. The sleeves shield the young trees from grazing animals, give them support, and help direct morning dew to their roots.”
Tour guide
Tamir Edri, who is well known for his off-road tours in the area, then led the jeeps along specially-designated routes through the forest and the surrounding desert landscapes, pausing at various points to share his knowledge with the group. One stop was at an ancient winepress, carved in rock, which was used for producing high-quality ritual wine some 2500 years ago. Edri said that grapes were dumped in the first pool, set a higher elevation than the second. “The workers would then stomp on the grapes to extract the juice, which would then run down the connecting channel into the second pool. The grape juice would then be collected in ceramic jars for fermentation.”The Salesforce Yatir Forest excursion ended with a wine-tasting session at the prestigious Yatir Winery, followed by lunch. KKL-JNF’s Michael Ben Abu opened the winetasting session with a hearty “L’Chaim!”