Justdiggit is a global initiative that wants to fight global warming. It conducts many individual projects in Africa in order to bring back vegetation by regreening degraded land and thus cool off our planet. Justdiggt has given itself an ambitious timeframe: 10 years to act. In other words, there should be some visible progress by the end of the decade. “We logistics service providers consume resources: water, electricity, air. We emit pollutants when we work. There’s no real way around that,” said Gerd Röttger, Managing Director of inTime. “Or is there? As a company, we examined our approach to sustainability in terms of new ecological standards, social responsibility and economic action. We realized that we could make a difference in several ways.” This includes investing in a modern vehicle fleet, steadily improving our carbon footprint, and using digital processes to conserve resources. “One other step was to join Justdiggit,” said Gerd Röttger, “in order to demonstrate our solidarity with activists around the world.” inTime became involved not as a single German company but joined ranks with TLT Group and Servicios Ader from Spain. The logistics specialists are all part of South Africa’s Super Group and members of its Supply Chain Europe business.
Africa: a continent of natural renewal
The world’s oldest inhabited continent, the Mother Continent was the cradle of creation and is characterized by biodiversity. However, the changing climate has made life harder for many people in Africa. Hunger, the search for a home and conflicts over resources are ravaging the continent. Working with millions of local farmers, Justdiggit aims to transform parched plains into green oases. The initiative is thus making an impact through the work of individuals as well as a global network of supporters. “We are convinced: Justdiggit is headed for success thanks to the commitment of numerous companies, social groups and highly regarded opinion leaders,” said Gerd Röttger. “Local people are themselves key drivers of change, too. That’s why Justdiggit’s projects are not drops in the bucket but rather fundamental searches for new sources.”
Numerous individual projects
Justdiggit’s motto is “Dig, Green, Cool” and describes how ecology professionals regreen arid land and bring back vegetation using cost-efficient nature-based methods. This creates new livelihoods for local people, improves biodiversity and pays dividends for the global climate because CO2 is absorbed from the atmosphere in large quantities. The work done in the projects reduces the greenhouse effect and cools the planet. Experts estimate that 37% of the climate problem can be solved by applying nature-based solutions. The work has kicked off with programs in Tanzania and Kenya. For example, once-dead tree stumps are being brought back to life. Infiltration basins irrigate parched lands. Grass seed banks provide local farmers with the means to earn a living. These are just a few examples of what Justdiggit does.
For more information, visit inTime’s online presence and Justdiggit’s website.