Grow trees while growing muscle…
A shift towards healthier living has been making its way into the corporate world. Nowadays, many companies offer some sort of workout benefits or have a gym located in-office.
And now one company is trying to motivate people to work out – while also helping the planet.
Plant it forward…
Last year, German heating and refrigeration manufacturer Viessman committed to planting one tree each time one of their employees did a short exercise. It could be anything from walking half a mile, doing a short Pilates session, or even a half-hour of downhill skiing (if you’re feeling bold).
With that offer, 5,000 employees participated in the program. It was called the #ViMove for Climate – which ended up planting 150,000 trees!
Since it was a success, Viessman has decided to do the program again – but this time, it will be open to everyone!
Keep track of your sweat…
To track everyone’s fitness goals, the program has its participants use the ViMove app. The app lets people record how many miles they’ve trekked or how many minutes they’ve exercised.
Users have the option of connecting the app to their own fitness tracker or uploading screenshots from other apps to the ViMove app.
Once recorded, the app shows users how many trees will be planted thanks to their sweaty efforts. About a mile of running or 200 meters of swimming will earn the user one tree.
It’ll even show how much C02 they’ve offset. Now that’s motivation!
Users can choose from 20 sports, ranging from low-impact activities like swimming and yoga to more high-intensity workouts. There’s something for all levels!
Giving trees to help others…
Viessman is collaborating with reforestation experts CHOOOSE. They pick out projects that are important to local communities and aim to help those who live there. One of its projects is set to be in Uganda and Kenya, where 150,000 trees will take root.
While most people wouldn’t expect a heating and refrigeration company to be leading this type of conservation effort… the company stated that it “stands for climate conservation.”
“By replacing old boilers with modern systems, our customers alone have reduced CO2 emissions by 500,000 tons per year. With #ViMove for Climate, we are expanding our commitment.”
The company hopes to give people motivation and use their competitiveness to benefit the planet along with their own bodies.
Viessman is creating a win-win-win situation by focusing on individual health, being environmentally friendly, and helping the company overall.
So, what do you think – should more companies adopt this type of incentive to get people to exercise and help the environment? Would you participate?!
Let us know in the comments below!