#045 | Amanda Bronkhorst - Inspiring Story from Producing TV Commercials to Planting Trees

Amanda Bronkhorst – Founder of JUST ONE Tree - Amanda’s professional background began in the giddy world of TV Commercial Production, whereas a Producer she worked with many big brand clients. Her successful career in the industry spanned 20 years and found her shooting in film locations around the globe.What was intended as a brief hiatus to start a family, transpired to be a change of career in an unexpected way. Whilst on her maternity leave, media reporting on the urgency of the climate crisis was ramping up. Driven by apprehension for what the future might hold for her young daughter, Amanda was compelled to take action.And so JUST ONE Tree was born: A non-profit initiative removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through global reforestation. The vision was to create a platform that enables everyone to make a difference in the fight against climate change. Howard Zinn once wrote “We don’t have to engage in grand heroic acts to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world”.Founded on this principle, JUST ONE Tree allows people to become part of the solution. With just £1 planting 1 Tree, it encourages large-scale minimal participation and simplifies the process for everyone to get involved.In less than a year, 750,000 trees have already been planted and businesses from a range of backgrounds, including the film and clothing retail industry, have united under the JUST ONE Tree banner. The ‘JUST ONE Tree Non-uniform Day’ was held in over 350 schools across 5 countries - an event which provided a springboard for environmental education and demonstrated to over 78,000 children, that our individual actions really do make a difference.Through partnering with carefully selected reforestation projects JUST ONE Tree is not only helping redress the CO2 imbalance but also supports positive systemic change in the local communities where the trees are planted. Communities once reliant on the destruction of surrounding forests for daily survival, are instead provided agricultural training and income from planting, protecting, and maintaining the trees.When not shackled to her desk, running the endless administrative duties of a not for profit company, you can find her riding her horse, or dreaming of carving down snowy mountains and divin