The Tazo Tree Corps serves a two-fold purpose: it aims to beautify and bring “tree equity” to areas in most need of it, and it will also help to provide employment for locals of those communities. “Nowhere is this more prevalent than today’s climate crisis-which has been disproportionately impacting Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities for decades.” “Looking at the world through this lens, we see that the status quo is stunting our futures and could even kill us,” she says.
SZA stars in a social film designed to promote the Tree Corps, which individuals can apply to join on the Tazo website.Īccording to Unilever Tea Americas President Laraine Miller, the initiative continues Tazo’s longstanding efforts to challenge the status quo. Tazo is partnering with musician/activist SZA and environmental organization American Forests on the effort. Statistics have shown that communities of Black, Indigenous and people of color have been disproportionately impacted by the negative effects of climate change-so much so, in fact, that temperatures in poorer neighborhoods of color will be from 5 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter during the summer than white neighborhoods within the same city, according to reporting from the New York Times. Hennessy, for example, introduced a pandemic-relief fund to help small businesses run by people of color, while others, like Ikea and Apple, have made commitments to addressing climate change. Now, Tazo Tea is attempting to do both in its latest initiative, the Tazo Tree Corps.Ĭonceived alongside Edelman, the corps comprises a paid and locally hired workforce that will plant and maintain trees in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
In recent years, and in 2020 in particular, brands have tried to do their part to address inequities that have plagued underserved communities.