One for You, Ten for the Earth: PR Firm Plants Ten Trees for Every Media Placement in 2019

25,960 trees fight climate change and celebrate success at rock paper scissors.

In most workplaces, everyday victories earn high fives, cheers, maybe a round of applause. Music and tech PR firm rock paper scissors (rps) has added another way to celebrate: the company plants ten trees every time a publicist wins press coverage for a client.

2019 may go down as the year the music business finally confronted climate change: Coldplay suspended touring, citing the carbon footprint of world travel and the environmental costs of live concerts. Reports exposed the impact of the music streaming market on the environment, thanks to the power-hungry data centers that run it. Technologies touted as future solutions are even more resource-intensive (looking at you, Blockchain). 

The climate impact of music biz PR hasn’t yet come under serious scrutiny, but rps didn’t wait for those headlines. In light of a 2019 study showing that planting 1 trillion trees could solve much of the carbon emissions crisis, the firm made a commitment to plant 10 trees for every press hit its publicists earn for clients. 

Every time an rps publicist secures an interview on NPR, a mention in Forbes, a profile in the New York Times, a feature in Billboard, or even a review on a blog, ten more trees are planted. With 2,596 media placements this year (that’s more than 30 hits per publicist every month), rock paper scissors will plant 25,960 trees in 2019. 

“The idea started as a way to offset our company’s emissions, especially our travel,” says Sheryl Woodhouse, rps COO. “We soon realized that translating our press hits into planting trees is even more meaningful. It helps us feel that our work has lasting impact, knowing that our success contributes to a tangible solution.”

Rps selected a partner to plant those 25,960 trees with lasting impact in mind. Trees For the Future addresses both climate change and poverty by helping families plant Forest Gardens. Each garden consists of thousands of trees that provide sustainable food sources, livestock feed, products to sell, fuel wood and a 400% increase in their annual income in four years. 

Over the course of 20 years in the PR business, CEO Dmitri Vietze has grown rock paper scissors from a one-man show to a team of nineteen who provide publicity, event planning, and many other communications services to musicians and innovative technology companies. “Our team chose to partner with Trees for The Future because we wanted the trees we plant to contribute to climate justice as well as capture carbon,” explains Vietze. “As our industry clout continues to grow, our environmental impact grows as well. We’re already planning how to increase our capacity, earn more press hits, and plant more trees in 2020.”