{"id":5808,"date":"2021-10-28T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-28T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?post_type=sf_press_release&p=5808"},"modified":"2021-10-28T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T12:00:00","slug":"marc-and-lynne-benioff-and-salesforce-announce-investment-to-accelerate-ecosystem-restoration-and-climate-justice","status":"publish","type":"sf_press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/news\/press-releases\/2021\/10\/28\/marc-and-lynne-benioff-and-salesforce-announce-investment-to-accelerate-ecosystem-restoration-and-climate-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Marc and Lynne Benioff, Salesforce Announce $300 Million in Investments to Accelerate Ecosystem Restoration and Climate Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s Note: This article references Salesforce Sustainability Cloud, which is now known as Net Zero Cloud. For the latest on Salesforce\u2019s sustainability solutions, check out this product page<\/a>. For the latest news on Salesforce\u2019s sustainability efforts, check out this page.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

$100 million Benioff TIME Tree Fund aims to accelerate the global reforestation efforts of 1T.org and help emerging and developing countries mitigate the increasing impacts of climate change<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIME Ventures will invest $100 million in ecopreneurs and reforestation ventures<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salesforce to give $100 million funding in grants, donate technology, and enable volunteers to deliver 2.5 million volunteer hours to nonprofits focused on climate action over the next 10 years<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Francisco \u2014 October 28, 2021 \u2014<\/strong> Marc and Lynne Benioff today announced $200 million in new climate investments toward reforestation and restoration efforts\u2014establishing the first-of-its-kind $100 million Benioff TIME Tree Fund and committing $100 million in investments from TIME Ventures, the Benioffs\u2019 investment fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salesforce to give $100 million funding in grants over the next 10 years to nonprofits working on ecosystem restoration and climate justice, donate technology through the Power of Us<\/a> program, and enable volunteers to deliver 2.5 million volunteer hours to organizations focused on climate action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a planetary emergency\u2014a climate crisis that impacts everyone, especially for the most vulnerable among us. More than half of global GDP is exposed to risk from the nature loss effects of climate change. And it will only get worse unless we collectively take bold steps now to limit global warming,\u201d said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce. \u201cWe need to apply every strategy possible to protect and preserve our planet. We must accelerate the world\u2019s largest businesses to Net Zero as part of reducing global emissions by half by 2030; sequester 100 gigatons of carbon through restoring, conserving, and growing 1 trillion trees; and energize an ecopreneur revolution to develop new technologies that will expedite the path to a decarbonized planet. Every country, company, community, and person has a responsibility to act now\u2014the cost of failing to address this global threat will be catastrophic. Our generation will be judged by the actions we take on climate change today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every country, company, community, and person has a responsibility to act now\u2014the cost of failing to address this global threat will be catastrophic. Our generation will be judged by the actions we take on climate change today.<\/span><\/p>Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

“What an amazing gift to Planet Earth! By protecting and restoring forests and planting trees, we can help slow down climate change and the loss of biodiversity,” said Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE. \u201cWe must stop deforestation\u2014especially in tropical regions where old growth forests continue to be threatened by industrial agriculture. We must listen to the wisdom of the indigenous people who have lived in harmony with their forests for generations. We must bring trees into our cities so that people of all incomes can benefit from a green environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need leaders in every sector of society to stand up and do the right thing for the climate. Youth around the world have been demanding governments and companies drastically reduce carbon emissions, focus on climate restoration, and increase their commitments to the Paris Agreement. We need to see more climate leadership like Marc Benioff and Salesforce, who have already achieved net zero and 100% renewable energy. But there’s still more to do. Business leaders have a responsibility to influence other business leaders to take climate action. The future of my generation and the generations that follow depends on it!\u201d said Alexandria Villase\u00f1or, co-founder of U.S. Youth Climate Strike and founder of Earth Uprising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business leaders have a responsibility to influence other business leaders to take climate action. The future of my generation and the generations that follow depends on it!<\/span><\/p>Alexandria Villase\u00f1or, co-founder of U.S. Youth Climate Strike and founder of Earth Uprising<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Benioff TIME Tree Fund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Benioff TIME Tree Fund will focus on indigenous and community-based forest management and mitigating the increasing impacts of climate change on the most at-risk communities and natural ecosystems in emerging and developing countries. The Benioff TIME Tree Fund builds on the Benioffs\u2019 ongoing efforts to slow the effects of climate change and preserve a better world for future generations. Since 2016, the Benioffs have given $68 million in climate-related grants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2020, the Benioffs contributed the initial financial support to establish<\/a> 1t.org<\/a>, a global movement with the goal to conserve, restore, and grow 1 trillion trees by the end of the decade. In 2016, the Benioffs donated $10 million<\/a> to the University of California Santa Barbara and founded the Benioff Ocean Initiative<\/a>, a science-based organization that links changemakers together to bring ocean solutions to life. To date, the Benioff Ocean Initiative has funded dozens of projects, including new technologies that capture plastic in rivers all over the world before that plastic reaches the ocean, and Whale Safe, AI-powered, whale-detection technology that helps ship captains avoid striking and killing whales\u2014and in so doing aids in the fight against climate change<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure the preservation of our oceans, the Benioffs partnered with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation<\/a> (NFWF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to form the Pacific Islands Research and Conservation program<\/a> in 2017. They are also founding members of the World Economic Forum (WEF)\u2019s Friends of Ocean Action<\/a> initiative, providing nearly $11 million in funding through the Benioff Ocean Initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIME Ventures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every day, ecopreneurs\u2014entrepreneurs dedicated to protecting the planet\u2014are launching new innovations to reduce emissions, sequester carbon, and repair and protect natural resources. With today\u2019s announcement, the Benioffs will commit another $100 million from TIME Ventures to continue to fund the ecopreneur revolution. Since 2014, the Benioffs have invested $100 million in ecopreneurs, including climate-focused startups like DroneSeed, Loam Bio, Mango Materials, NCX, Novoloop, Planet, Terraformation, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salesforce Climate Action Plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Salesforce is a Net Zero company across its full value chain and has achieved 100% renewable energy for its operations. The company is a founder of 1t.org and has already funded more than 40 million trees toward its 100 million tree goal<\/a>, and is a member of the UN\u2019s Race to Zero and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salesforce has been on its sustainability journey for more than a decade. Executing on a comprehensive Climate Action Plan<\/a>, the company is helping drive toward a 1.5 degree future by focusing on six sustainability priorities: emissions reduction, carbon removal, trillion trees & ecosystem restoration, education & mobilization, innovation, and regulation & policy. As part of Salesforce\u2019s Net Zero journey, it is prioritizing reducing emissions as quickly as possible and aligning its own full value chain emissions (Scope 1, 2, and 3) to the global trajectory of ~50% emissions reductions by 2030, and near-zero emissions by 2040.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its Sustainability Cloud 2.0<\/a>, Salesforce is supercharging its efforts to help accelerate the world\u2019s largest businesses to Net Zero, faster. Sustainability Cloud is designed to help customers track and reduce their emissions and take impactful action on climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salesforce is on an accelerated mission leveraging its full power to create a more sustainable and equitable future for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Information on Salesforce Sustainability Initiatives:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n