Andrea Koehle Jones, Founder and Executive Director

 Journalist, author and social entrepreneur Andrea Koehle Jones founded both Love Trees and The ChariTREE Foundation on Earth Day 2006 in an effort to educate and empower kids about the environment.

Social entrepreneurship is the act of recognizing a social problem and innovating a solution using entrepreneurial principles. While business entrepreneurs seek profits and returns, social entrepreneurs measure their successes in social or environmental change. (-mashable)

Love Trees is a young, environmental initiative rooted in a philosophy that powerful solutions to climate change should involve educating and empowering kids – the future stewards of the environment.

“If children are going to make a lifelong commitment to protect the environment for themselves and future generations, they first need time to explore the wonders of nature,” said Andrea Koehle Jones, Executive Director of Love Trees. She says one of the best ways to learn about the environment is to plant, care for and watch a seedling grow into a magnificent tree.

Love Trees has given trees to children in Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Canada, the United States and Haiti by donating trees to kids through schools and children’s organizations. We also source the correct species for the region and ship trees at no cost to the schools, organizations, teachers and students.

Andrea has a Masters degree in journalism and another degree in geography with a focus on international development. She has worked as a journalist for CBC Newsworld International and Newsworld in Toronto, Yellowknife and Vancouver as well as for various environmental organizations including Greenpeace where she worked as a communications strategist during the campaign to save the Great Bear Rainforest. Andrea is also an award-winning documentary producer and author of the The Wish Trees. Andrea wrote the lyrics to the Shannon Robinson song My Persephone (a song about trees) which is now available on iTunes or cdbaby. My Persephone recently made the Jango Airplay Top Ten. (Week of Sept 13, 2011.) A portion of profits from song sales are being donated to children’s tree projects.

Andrea just returned from visiting tree project in Zambia. WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEO: Children’s Tree Charity: A Wish Tree for Every Child.

“There’s something so hopeful about planting trees,” said Koehle Jones. “I’ll never forget the children we planted trees with in Africa and I’ll never stop trying to bring more children trees.”