The #TeamTrees initiative has gone viral, racking up millions of dollars in donations so far.
When MrBeast hit 20 million YouTube subscribers, he asked his fans what he should do to celebrate.
The responses flooded in: plant 20 million trees to help combat climate change. So together with other YouTubers and influencers, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, teamed up with the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation to raise $20 million to plant 20 million trees.
The #TeamTrees campaign is now over halfway to meeting that goal, with donations from regular people and celebrities alike flooding in.
Billionaire Elon Musk, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki are among the high-profile people who have made huge pledges. The initiative will have a huge impact, Arbor Day Foundation President Dan Lambe told InsideEdition.com.
"Planting trees helps the environment in so many ways," Lambe said. "Trees clean the air, clean the water and help to create a habitat for birds and other animals. Trees are critical today and they're helping to remove pollutants from our air and help to improve the quality of life for people across the United States and around the world."
#TeamTrees has set a deadline of Jan. 1, 2020, to raise the $20 million. The trees will then be planted from January 2020 until December 2022 on every continent except Antarctica and will be species-native to each area, according to #TeamTrees' website.
The Arbor Day Foundation works with the U.S. Forest Service and other government agencies and nonprofits to plant trees on public and private lands around the world, and Lambe said the campaign has given the organization a huge boost.
"The #TeamTrees initiative has taken off thanks to the creativity of YouTube creators who are harnessing the power, the influence and the passion of their followers," Lambe said. "Twenty million trees is going to make an enormous difference in helping to fight and combat climate change and other important and pressing issues all around the world."
Lambe also said he hopes that #TeamTrees is just the beginning of environmental action for YouTubers and their fans.
"Young people have a voice. People are paying attention to what you think and they're paying attention to the power of your voice," Lambe said. "This initiative is an example of the positive influence that social media can have on social change."
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