- Log in to your account to track your palm boxes starting Tues 3/19. Happy Easter!
Welcome to EcoPalms.org
By choosing Ecopalms for Palm Sunday you can promote environmental and social justice through your congregations palm purchasing decisions!
Promote Social Justice
- Harvesting palms is an important source of income but gatherers receive a low price
- Gatherers will receive a higher price for their “fair trade” palms improving their income.
Promote Environmental Stewardship
- Palms protect valuable natural forests because they provide income to forest communities.
- Palms will be “sustainably” harvested and managed protecting the palms and the forests they need for shade.
Why a "Fair Trade" Palm?
- To improve income and living conditions for the communities gathering the palm.
- To protect the palms and the important forests from which they are gathered through sustainable harvest programs.
Did You Know?
- Approximately 308 million palm fronds were consumed in the United States in 1998.
- Palm purchases for Palm Sunday may be worth up to 4.5 million dollars/year.
- A congregation of 1,100 to 1,500 members will order approximately 700 palm fronds for Palm Sunday services.
- Palm gathering actually protects valuable natural forests.
- At least half of the farmers in the Central Petenof Guatemala earn additional income from harvesting fronds and, more than a quarter of household heads support themselves exclusively by collecting fronds.
- Each palm plant produces 2 to 5 harvestable leaves over a 2 to 4 month period.