HEE CARBON FREE: Growing a Greener Future
The HEE CARBON FREE program is on a mission to fight climate change—one tree at a time. Every year, HEE group members offset their expedition carbon emissions by planting 2,500 native trees in the breathtaking Sierra Madre region of the Philippines.
Together with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), HEE helped form a dynamic Agta-led association to lead and manage the reforestation efforts on the ground. This isn’t just tree planting—it’s community empowerment.
In partnership with Isabela State University (ISU), HEE also built a state-of-the-art nursery that produces up to 20,000 seedlings annually—far exceeding the group’s own needs. The surplus? Eagerly adopted by other organizations and institutions looking to make their own climate contributions, including PNU.
And to keep everyone inspired and informed, we’ve launched the “TREEMOMETER”—a live tracker that shows how many trees have been adopted and where they’re growing, using GIS mapping.
This is more than carbon offsetting. It’s a movement. It’s regeneration. It’s HEE CARBON FREE.
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is organising related courses for capacitating the Agta for the programme management in their own language. Further information: here
APO CACAO GATHERING: Protecting Ancestral Lands Through Agroforestry
The APO CACAO GATHERING program is a bold initiative coordinated by the APO (Agta Palanan Organisation) to defend the ancestral lands, while promoting sustainable livelihoods through cacao agroforestry practicies.
As rice farming encroaches deeper into the Sierra Madre—often under the false claim that these lands are “unused”—the Agta face growing threats to their territorial rights. This program flips that narrative. By planting cacao within their forests, the Agta not only restore and enrich the ecosystem—they also legally strengthen their claim to the land.
Each cacao tree planted redefines the forest as cultivated and protected, effectively halting the spread of unauthorized farming and reinforcing the zoning plan for the Agta Ancestral Domain.
Isabela State University (ISU) is providing full technical support—guiding the Agta in planting, harvesting, and processing cacao beans, turning the forest into a source of both sovereignty and income.
This isn’t just farming. It’s land defense. It’s cultural resilience. It’s the sweet taste of justice—powered by cacao.
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Department of Evolutionary Anthropology
