ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated:

On Earth Day, Keren Keyemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and the Chinese Ant Group corporation signed a preliminary Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to tackle environmental issues and encourage sustainability.The signing ceremony in Israel was led by deputy world chairman of KKL-JNF Amir Schneider


Ant Group, co-founded by renowned Chinese business magnate and philanthropist Jack Ma, is the owner of Alipay, a massively popular online payment platform serving over a billion users worldwide. However, since 2016, the company has also utilized its wide reach in order to promote environmental issues. This took the form of the Alipay Ant Forest project, launched on their mobile app.

Made in partnership with the United Nations, the project sees users rewarded with "green energy points" whenever they take steps to reduce carbon emissions, such as not taking cars to work or buying eco-friendly products. Over time, these points grow into a virtual tree, and each virtual tree is matched by the company planting a real tree.

The project has proved successful, with over 500 million users and 100 million real trees planted in Northwest China.

And while their reach may not be as broad, KKL-JNF boasts being one of the oldest green organizations worldwide and is a global leader in promoting environmental awareness and sustainability. The organization is in charge of maintaining over 1.6 million acres of forest throughout Israel.