It is time to let a very large and exciting cat out of the bag (which is perhaps a dreadful analogy for a peaceful vegan to use – one should never put a cat in a bag!) Well, there are a few cats actually and I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to break the news.
On Tuesday 1st April, with great humility and joy, I will be handing the baton of CEO to my dear colleague, Simon West, the other co-founder of Word Forest.
As an unpaid volunteer Simon has, with unfaltering dedication, given almost a decade of his working life to the charity we created together. He has been my rock and a steady, guiding and reassuring light. It is impossible to summarise what he has done to help the team and I get Word Forest to where it is today, but here goes with the tip of the iceberg.
Simon has notched up around 15,000 hours, working here in the UK and in the bush in Kenya, carrying out such a wide variety of tasks there are far too many to list. They include taking care of our financial matters and reporting, building and taking great care of our websites, dealing with the Charity Commission, creating and filing our Report and Accounts, managing all of our complex IT requirements, assisting countless volunteers and doing many other jobs besides.
He has represented Word Forest on national and international TV and radio, and at countless events and fundraisers ranging from COP26 in Glasgow, to within about 10 metres of the shoreline here on Devon’s south coast. He has also carried out the role of Chair of Trustees in an exemplary manner and that’s almost the only role he’ll be handing over to someone else. Well, it’s 5 someone elses to be exact: it’s our Trustees themselves! This, of course, comes with the gracious acceptance of the Charity Commission.
Trustees Rikey Austin, Eva Dixon, Phil Gamble, Camile Oster and Izzy Robertson have always been a dedicated bunch and now they want to ramp things up a notch by managing their duties with a roving Chair who will hold the title for 3 months. Izzy is fired up and can’t wait to take the first shift.
Simon is sliding seamlessly into his new role and at the most appropriate time. For over 2 years he has been working on a vital project which will enable us to seriously scale up our operation. Working initially with colleagues Sue Jueno and Jo Smith, they assessed the marketplace for the best accreditation body that would enable us to sell rubber stamped carbon credits to businesses on the open market.
Gold Standard has the highest bar and we knew it was going to be the most challenging one to apply to be a part of. With invaluable assistance from our Corporate Partners, Oaklin, that’s who they chose. The application process was rigorous to say the very least and it would have taken far longer had it not been for the unwavering support of Shivi, Harry, Karoline, Dom and others at Oaklin.
I’m so proud to break the news that Word Forest is now listed on their registry and we’re open for business. The UK and Kenyan team and I, owe an unpayable debt to Simon for his extraordinary dedicated voluntary service in this regard. It will allow a golden sunrise to shine a light on a new era at Word Forest.
This shift in dynamics may sound huge but don’t worry, I’ll still be around and Word Forest will still work in the same way it always has. If you’d like to buy a tree for £2.50, we’ll still be able to sell it to you and I promise you that money will enable us to pay someone to plant it, and there will be enough to nip from it to run one of our educational projects, or perhaps build a classroom, and a really tiny bit of it will be retained to help us run the charity.
Gold Standard accreditation was the necessary rubber stamp we needed to be able to do business with businesses – we needed to be able to trade in it. It’s not enough to say to a company, “Watch our documentary”, or “Read our latest reports to see what we’re doing with women’s empowerment, or education projects on income generation”, for example. The accreditation box needed to be ticked with an organisation that CEO’s can trust. Think about the Fairtrade mark for example, or B-corp. You have to go through an arduous process to gain that tick – the Gold Standard tick is no exception.
At HQ, we’ve watched the carbon credits marketplace evolve swiftly (over the past 5 years particularly) and we’ve been shocked to see stories in the media of some carbon credit retailers who got their projects very wrong. It was indeed terrible that it happened in many ways, of course, however, by shining spotlights on mistakes being made in the market, I feel it has helped to draw the issue to the close attention of companies large and small, all of whom need to pay the price for their carbon footprint! With our guidance, we hope they’ll also be able to address decarbonisation within their organisation and also ensure they have a deforestation free supply chain, too.
On this note, I’m going to take my final bow as the proudest CEO of the most incredible charity I could ever wish Word Forest could be.
Asante.
Kwaheri.
Tracey x
A note from Simon
At the start of April, I will have the immense honour of stepping into the role of CEO for Word Forest, as Tracey takes a well-earned step back from the pressures of full responsibility. While she is moving away from the role, her passion for our mission remains as strong as ever, and she will continue to do all she can for the charity she built with such love and determination.
Everything Word Forest has achieved exists because of Tracey. Her unwavering dedication, tireless efforts, and deep commitment to making the world a greener, fairer place have shaped this organisation in ways too numerous to count. She has made an extraordinary impact—not only through the many trees planted but in the lives changed and communities strengthened, both here and in Kenya.
To say I am proud to take the torch from her is an understatement. It is a privilege to continue this work, to build on the foundations she has laid, and to ensure that Word Forest goes from strength to strength. With the recent milestone of Gold Standard registration, we are entering a new and exciting phase, and I will do my utmost to honour Tracey’s vision and legacy.
Thank you, Tracey, for everything you have done – and continue to do – for Word Forest and for the planet.
As an indication of our immense gratitude for everything she has done, The board and I have decided to invest Tracey with the title Founder and President Emerita in recognition of her outstanding leadership and lasting contributions. This title signifies deep respect and appreciation for her service while allowing her to remain connected in an advisory and ambassadorial capacity.
Simon
