Beirut's RiverLESS Forest

A series of initiatives to address the deterioration of the polluted Beirut River and its negative impact on the surrounding communities and environment.

Afforestation is one of the best ways to mitigate climate change and urban heat island effect. Dense native urban forests will clean the air, reduce flooding, recharge groundwater, reintroduce nature and become self-sufficient within 3 years.

In May 2019, tOD partnered with crowdfunding platform SUGi Project and social enterprise Afforestt to plant 800 saplings from 17 different native species in Beirut in a 200sqm plot near the river for an Urban Afforestation Workshop. This was followed by planting 400 saplings in 100sqm of land in a cemetery in June.

By using the innovative Miyawaki Technique of afforestation, these forests will be 100% more biodiverse, 30 times denser, sequestering 30 times more CO2 and pollution, and growing 10 times faster than conventional man-made forests.