Alipay Ant Forest, an initiative that has inspired hundreds of millions in China to adopt a greener lifestyle and contribute to the environment.
Since its launch in August 2016, Alipay Ant Forest has:
- Attracted 500 million users to engage in low carbon emission activities on the platform and grow their virtual trees in the Alipay app.
- The virtual trees, nourished by “green energy” originating from users’ green activities, have been turned into 100 million real trees planted in China’s most arid areas.
- The trees planted cover a total area of 1.4 million mu (933 square kilometers), equivalent to 130,000 soccer pitches.
Eric Jing, Chairman and CEO of Ant Financial said: “I am very proud of the popularity of Alipay Ant Forest, which embodies our belief that technology should be used for social good. We are grateful to our many users and partners who have helped plant 100 million trees and advance a shared vision of sustainable and inclusive development.”
“Alipay Ant Forest is an open platform, where all of our stakeholders, including consumers, philanthropic institutions, and eco-system partners, can collectively explore and implement ways to harness technology for a sustainable future,” he said.
A mini-program on the Alipay app, Alipay Ant Forest promotes a greener lifestyle and encourages users to engage in low-carbon activities, such as paying utility bills online and commuting by walking or cycling instead of driving.
This behavior is counted and converted into virtual “green energy” that can then be used to grow virtual trees in Alipay Ant Forest within the Alipay app. With enough energy points, a virtual tree can be converted into a real tree and planted by Alipay Ant Forest and its philanthropic partners in areas suffering from desertification. In turn, this tree-planting initiative inspires users to further adopt low-carbon and environmentally-friendly lifestyles, forming a virtuous cycle.
Here’s a video explaining how this works.