This Book is My Act of Reciprocity

Robin Wall Kimmerer (author of Braiding Sweetgrass) proclaims, “Share. Give thanks for what you have been given. Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken. Sustain the ones who sustain you and the Earth will last forever.”

I love this concept and felt inspired when I first read it. I decided to give away this book for free as my act of reciprocity, my tiny way of saying “thank you” for the incredible privilege of being alive. I have experienced so much joy working on this book, and it brings me even more joy knowing that I can now share it with you in hopes that together we can help heal Earth.

The digital copy is fully free and the hard copy costs only the amount necessary to cover printing and shipping costs. I know many of you are generous people who will insist on paying something, perhaps as your own act of reciprocity. If that is you—and thank you in advance—you can do so in the form of a donation to our non-profit, Project Pando.

We at Leaf & Limb founded Project Pando in 2017. It is a community-driven effort where we collect seeds from wild, native trees and then raise those seeds into saplings, which we give away for free. We have grown and given away tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs. We have inspired people around the city, state, and country to replicate our work and begin growing trees for their own projects. Volunteers who knew nothing about trees, ranging from school kids to retirees, are now happily growing, planting, and tending to native trees throughout their communities. You will learn more about these efforts in Section 5 of this book where I provide the full model for Project Pando in the hopes that you and others will join, replicate, and build on our work.

Should you decide to give, I promise this: every penny you donate—and I do mean literally every penny—will directly support our work at Project Pando, which aims to help heal Earth.

You can donate using this QR code:

Link to donate to Project Pando

You can also donate at www.leaflimb.com/pando-donations, by texting PANDO to 53555, or by emailing wonder@leaflimb.com.

For those who prefer more traditional methods, you can also send a check to Project Pando, 511 Nowell Road in Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607. Please make payments out to “Project Pando.”

Oh, and why the name Project Pando? Pando is a massive clonal colony of Quaking Aspens located in Utah. Each of the 50,000 trees in this colony is connected to one another by a single root system. Project Pando is built on the belief that—like Pando in Utah—we are all connected, helping one helps all, and there is strength in unity. By achieving good for all and being stewards of our shared resources, we attain a brighter future.