Bolt, has entered into a long-term partnership with Seed Balls Kenya to plant over 11 million indigenous trees and unique grass species in degraded areas across the country.
The project will enable the production and distribution of 25 tons of indigenous seeds (an equivalent of 11.25 million trees) to sullied lands across Kenya, where natural reforestation is unlikely to occur or is impossible.
The initiative is supported by other NGOs that work with the Seedballs team to distribute and disperse the seed balls. They include; South Eastern Kitui University, Kibwezi Well Wishers, Save The Giraffes Now, Kijabe Forest Trust, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kampour Travel Foundation, Mother Earth Network, Eden Project, and Big Life Foundation.
Since 2019 Bolt has been mitigating its environmental impact by investing in projects primarily focused on renewable energy and resource conservation. The Seedballs project marks an evolution in Bolt’s strategy by supporting local initiatives to generate better environmental impacts.
On its mission to support Sustainable Transport, Bolt has progressively invested in innovative ways to reduce its ecological footprints as a company both globally and locally. Already, Bolt has built long-life e-scooters that are lightweight, and safe-to-use in Europe. Bolt has also made its scooter operations climate positive through offsetting.
In Kenya, the company introduced the Bolt Green category in Nairobi, which consists of hybrid and electric cars, to reduce emissions during trips taken on the platform, thus offering greener ways to move within the city. The company also introduced electric tuk-tuks, and e-bicycles on the platform to expand greener transport options in Kenya for its food category.
Bolt’s Head of Sustainability, Natalia Gutiérrez, said: “Bolt is built on a culture of operating in the most efficient way possible and we apply those values in how we mitigate our own environmental impact. We have handpicked a select number of projects where we collaborate closely with NGOs and other partners on local initiatives that we are confident will maximise the positive impact we can have on the environment. We are
proud to announce Seedballs Kenya as the first project of this kind we are investing in and look forward to seeing the difference it will make in areas of Kenya where reforestation was unlikely to occur naturally.
The partnership also comes when the world urges businesses, governments, and communities to step up their efforts and investments in natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking to restore the world’s ecosystems.
Bolt aims to support this call by investing both in long-term and short-term projects that will provide solutions to climate change and still enable it to fulfil its core mission of providing convenient, safe and affordable mobility solutions to people around the world.