mokugift corporate blog

Green Lifestyle App under the spotlight

2009-06-06T00:59:00.000-07:00

We are very excited that our Green Lifestyle app is part of Yahoo! Application Platform (YAP) launch.

We had a great time designing and developing this app. The Yahoo! team has been amazing during the entire development process, from concept refinement and usability suggestions to technical support. On the top of that, they have put up this very cool video with Hans. Please check it out:

June 11th Feel Good Party with Fotki and mokugift in San Francisco

2009-05-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Thursday June 11th at Temple Nightclub in San Francisco.

Location: 540 Howard st.
Time: Starts at 7pm

Photo-Shoot by Fotki.com
Plant a tree via Mokugift.com
Eco-Fashion Show
Intuition sessions from Insight Salon
Gifts from Juice Beauty

Check out ZapRoot green innovation news: mokugift reviewed

2009-05-17T23:46:00.000-07:00

Zaproot is one hour of green innovation news with in 5 minutes with a laugh every 30 seconds. Yeah, my head was spinning.

Green IPhone Apps ZapRoot - More amazing video clips are a click away

get to know mokugift via video

2009-04-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

We realized that you don't often see the faces behind mokugift. When Daily Grommet approached us with a feature for Arbor Day, we were happy to answer some questions via video.

NerdLike Giveaway

2009-04-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

For every tree you plant at mokugift via this link, you will be entered into a drawing for a 20.00 Gift Card to Target from NerdLike.com . The giveaway will run until May 1, 2009.

hip hip and mokugift: Omar Offendum

2009-04-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

The hip hop community is really starting to embrace the mission and message of mokugift. Omar Offendum, an up-and-coming hip hop artist, is on board with mokugift. Omar, doesn't just talk the talk. Environmentalism is a part of his life. Moreover, the symbolism of trees is relevant to his identity. I'll let Omar's quote speak for itself:

"I am an immigrant, I have nomadic ancestry, and I am constantly on tour promoting my music - so the idea of "putting down roots" in this world is quite compelling to say the least ... besides that, I love me some trees!"

Plant a tree with Omar here.
Check out Omar's upcoming shows here.

What we really like is that he customized his text to say 'Omar is under the influence of TREES - Plant One'. He has a way with words.

Pharoahe Monch on board with mokugift

2009-04-07T15:51:00.000-07:00

You must have heard Pharoahe Monch's legendary 1999 track Simon Says. We are happy to have him on board with mokugift's Artists & Athletes program. Mokugift's Artists & Athletes program enables artists and athletes to inform, inspire and empower their fans to participate in the United Nations Environment Programme's Billion Tree Campaign. Fans can now plant trees with artists and athletes that have gotten on board with mokugift.

You can plant a tree with Pharoahe Monch here

Stay tuned for some words from Pharoahe about his thoughts on how hiphop and environmental action can be combined. For now, you can get a sense of how he approaches his art by checking out this video:

Pharoahe Monch from Monstar Productions LLC on Vimeo.

Apple Chops Down A Real Tree

2009-03-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Our vision was to utilize the iPhone’s superior distribution platform to empower users with an easy way to make positive social contributions. However, we received a call on last Wednesday (March 4th) from an Apple representative stating that a new policy is now in effect that prohibits apps from promising to perform any services beyond the application as well as any and all applications related to charity. The Apple representative said that this policy had been outlined in the SDK agreement. After a thorough search of the document, we were unable to find any reference to such services nor even the word 'charity' in the agreement.

We called back the Apple representative and when we asked to be forwarded an official copy of this official yet unwritten policy, the Apple representative declined and stated that he can only tell us over the phone. This person even declined to email us from an Apple email address to confirm that he worked for Apple. We wondered if this was legit, so we called Apple and asked for him via the front desk. He answered, so as far as we know he works there, but he won't confirm his role nor this unwritten policy.

Our dilemma is this, Apple is asking us to remove the promise to plant a tree from our marketing materials. However, it is hard for us to change our marketing materials in this way without changing the concept of A Real Tree. March 9th we talked again and told him that we will brainstorm about the ways in which we could conform to this set of unwritten policies. We asked to have a week to figure out a way to change A Real Tree to conform to these unwritten policies, but have been instead given only until the end of day March 10th. We asked again if we could have a week, then he said that he would talk to his management team. So far the app is still up.

photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oregondot/3134019512/

Thus, we decided to reach out to our fans, customers and supporters, who understand the concept and value of A Real Tree. The more brains behind this, the more likely we will be able to solve the problem before the end of the week. Please leave your suggestions in the comment thread.

We appreciate the opportunity that Apple has given us with the AppStore and we would like to keep the opportunity alive.

At mokugift, we are just a few guys dedicated to helping the United Nations Environment Programme empower more people to easily plant a tree as part of their Billion Tree Campaign. Please help us. As a token of our gratitude, we will plant 100 trees for the first person that gives us the solution that allows us to stay on the App Store.

Special thanks to Darrell for the first suggestion: Apple chops down A Real Tree.

Now working with AffiliateFuture

2009-03-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

We are excited that we have launched 2 affiliate program with AffiliateFuture. If you are already an AffiliateFuture affiliate, please check us out (search for "mokugift").

For those of you who are interested in becoming an affiliate for mokugift to help our planet while making money, please sign up at AffiliateFuture today!

calling all mokugift members in Colorado

2009-02-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Platte River Kitchens joined mokugift as a corporate customer. They will be at booth 2343 at the Colorado Garden & Home Show. For years, Platte River Kitchens has seen companies give away pens, t-shirts and other mementos that aren't environmentally beneficial. Sure, some may reduce their damage to our environment, but Platte River Kitchens made the move this year to reward customers with mokugift trees that benefit our environment.

The Colorado Garden & Home Show is a non-profit organization providing horticultural scholarships and grants in Colorado.

New Features: Share the Inspiration

2009-02-03T19:43:00.001-08:00

We are excited to announce that we have pushed out a few features that would let you inspire your friends easily and maximize your total positive impact to our beloved planet earth. UNEP's Billion Tree Champaign is calling for everyone globally to Plant a Tree each. To achieve this goal, inspiring others to plant is as important as planting a tree yourself. This is why we built these new features to help you inspire your friends.

Mokugift now shows the total number of people you inspired (3 degrees of friends) and the total number of trees planted by them. We also provide 4 tools for you to share the inspiration with friends (through which mokugift tracks how your inspiration spreads):

1) Adding Mokugift to your email signature

2) Adding mokugift widget onto your profile on

3) Adding mokugift widget to your blog

4) Telling your friends via email

To celebrate the friends that join you in planting trees, for the first tree that each of your inspired friends plants, you will get a free tree. This doubles your impact in the fight against global warming. For every 10 trees planted by people inspired by you (up to 3 degrees away), you will get a free tree. This will further increase your impact in the fight against global warming.

Get your tools and start inspiring our friends today: http://www.mokugift.com/user/inspire

Mokugift Partners with the United Nations Environment Programme in the Goal of Planting 7 Billion Trees Worldwide

2008-12-16T10:50:00.000-08:00

Today we announced our participation in the Billion Tree Campaign. Here is our press release:

SAN FRANCISCO — December 16, 2008 — Mokugift, the online tree gifting service that allows people to plant a real tree, today announced a partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme’s Billion Tree Campaign. The initiative, launched in 2006 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is calling on citizens globally to plant seven billion trees, roughly one tree per person, by the end of 2009. In support of the Billion Tree Campaign, mokugift pledges to plant five million trees by the end of 2009.
Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, individuals, communities, private sector companies, organizations and governments in 164 countries planted over two billion trees during the first 18 months of the campaign. The Billion Tree Campaign supports global environmental solidarity and helps fight one of the most critical challenges of our time – global warming. Mokugift allows those who wish to join this global campaign to plant trees with a simple click of a mouse.

"We are honored to partner with mokugift as part of the UNEP Billion Tree Campaign. Mokugift is taking creative approaches with its online gifting service and iPhone application to help the Billion Tree Campaign achieve a target of seven billion trees. In the spirit of the Billion Tree Campaign, mokugift empowers ordinary people to be part of the solution," said Satinder Binda, Director, UNEP.

As simple as sending an e-card, mokugift allows anyone to plant trees and fight global warming without the need to lift a shovel. Trees are priced at $1/tree and the gifter can select which country the trees are to be planted in. Mokugift trees are planted by award-winning agroforestry partners in 12 tropical countries where tree-planting is most beneficial to the fight against global warming. Partner agroforestry projects focus on enriching the land and creating sustainable lifestyle for local communities.

About United Nations Environment Programme
The Billion Tree Campaign was launched in November 2006 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is now recognized as one of the UN’s most successful environmental campaigns reaching several billion people across 166 countries. In twenty three months, people from around the world have pledged to plant 4.2 billion trees. UNEP’s records confirm a staggering 2.5 billion trees have already been planted. Ethiopia has planted over 700 million trees, with a survival rate of 70 per cent. In 2008, Ethiopia is planning to plant another one billion trees. The campaign has exceeded all expectations because of strong grassroots support and well planned global outreach strategies. “Plant for the Planet: The Billion Tree Campaign” stresses the power of partnerships. In its second stage, the campaign plans to plant seven billion trees -- one tree for every living person on the planet. Every tree counts and UNEP counts every tree.

For more information, please visit: http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/

About mokugift
Mokugift enables consumers and organizations to plant trees with a simple click of a mouse for $1/tree. Mokugift, a supporter of the United Nations Environment Programme's Billion Tree Campaign, partners with award-winning agroforestry organizations such as Trees For The Future and Sustainable Harvest International to plant trees in twelve tropical countries fighting deforestation and poverty: Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burundi, Senegal, Zambia, India, Philippines, and Haiti. Giving a tree is similar to sending an e-card, and recipients can proudly display their trees online at Facebook, MySpace, iGoogle and other popular Web sites. Mokugift enables iPhone and iPod touch owners to plant a tree as easily as they can buy their favorite song. Mokugift plants a tree when iPhone and iPod touch owners purchase 'A Real Tree' application on Apple's iTunes AppStore.
For more information, please visit: http://www.mokugift.com

mokugift quote of the week

2008-12-10T11:17:00.001-08:00

A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible. ~ Welsh Proverb

Richard Preston: Climbing the world's biggest trees

2008-12-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

This is a must see. Richard Preston gives a presentation about climbing Redwoods. He gives you a sense of being there. Just enough that you want to climb one to complete the experience he started for you.

The presentation was given in Feb 2008 and posted this month. Kishore Balakrishnan thoughtfully suggested this video to us. Thanks for the inspiration Kishore.

Environmental blogs

2008-12-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

A few more news sources have started to pick up news about our 'A Real Tree' iPhone app!
Check out Climate Change Today . The blog is written by Christopher R. Reeves who is an environmental attorney with the Atlanta office of the Finley Firm, P.C. Mr. Reeves’ practice includes environmental and mass tort litigation.

Forest News Watch, a forestry industry newsletter also picked up our story.

Check out their sites, there is some nicely selected content on there.

Plant a Tree on your iPhone or iPod touch

2008-12-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce that you can plant a tree on iPhone and iPod touch with mokugift's 'A Real Tree' app, available on iTunes AppStore. Our 'A Real Tree' app makes tree-planting as easy as buying your favorite song. With the click of a button, iPhone or iPod touch owners can buy 'A Real Tree' , trees are then planted by partners, who are award-winning tree-planting organizations in 12 countries fighting deforestation and poverty. 'A Real Tree' is priced at $0.99 (in the US).

iPhone Savior, an iPhone news blog, called us up for a quick interview. Check out iPhone Savior's review here. His screenshots are put together better than ours!

On the iTunes AppStore we have 3 reviews! Please check it out.
So far 94 trees have been planted since our silent launch. Today is our first approach to bloggers and mainstream media.

Eco-Friendly and Green Gifts by Cool Moms Rule!

2008-11-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

Mokugift was just featured on Cool Moms Rule! blog, a proud member of the blogher network. Vivien Bruss described mokugift even better than we could. Check out the Eco-Friendly and Green Gifts Ideas post on her blog.

The diversity of ideas and the level of creativity of the different companies is inspiring. Mokugift trees can be a good complement to the products in the guide.

Ecofabulous Gift Guide

2008-11-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

Ecofabulous was kind enough to include us in their holiday gift guide. The gift guide is quite extensive. It covers everything from gifts for rock stars to gifts for couch potatoes and everything between those extremes. After reading this post you won't have any excuse not to give a green gift.

Check out the EcoFabulous Holiday Gift Guide 2008 Issue.

Great reviews about mokugift

2008-11-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

We recently launched a 'frog' on BzzAgent's FrogPond service. It is a service that brings interesting sites in front of very social people that like to express their thoughts and feedback about products and services. We have noticed that some of the people on BzzAgent FrogPond are very articulate and thoughtful. We have received a very warm welcome on FrogPond and we have received some very tangible and actionable feedback. You see those changes in a few weeks.

Chaos Chronicles planted a tree in memory of her mother. We are honored that our service was chosen to help her celebrate the life of her mother.

Natasha on Soothie Ranch also wrote a great review about mokugift.

We try to keep up on all the blogs and twitters that cover mokugift. If we happened to miss you, we appologise. Please feel drop us a comment and we will check out your blog.

our new office!

2008-11-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

We just moved to a new office in Millbrae, California. The move was only about a 1.5 miles (2.4km). The best part is that we are right across the road from the subway station (Millbrae Bay Area Rapid Transit station). I signed up for an EZ-Rider subway card that tops up automatically. It is so convenient. If you are in London or Tokyo it is like the Oyster and Suica cards.

If you are in the neighborhood, feel free to stop by and introduce yourself. We are at 10 Rollins Road - Suite 212A, Millbrae, California 94030

Vote for mokugift!

2008-11-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Open Web Awards is the only multilingual international online voting competition that covers major innovations in web technology. Through an online nominating and voting process, the Open Web Awards recognizes and honors the top achievements in 26 categories.

Make mokugift a Open Web Award winner. More publicity for mokugift means that more people will help our planet! THANKS!

Submit your email in the box below to vote for mokugift:

mokugift mentioned on TMCNet

2008-11-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

Stefani Viscusi on the Green Technology blog over at TMCNet mentioned mokugift's rewards programs. TMCNet is the world's argest telecom and technology community. This has been a great way for us to reach out to phone companies. Phone companies send out paper bills that cost over $1 each in postage, labor and paper. They could easily use mokugift to reward consumers for choosing paperless billing. In an economic downturn, it is creative approaches like these that will help companies and the environment.

We started mokugift to show that acheiving business goals be given equal priority to helping the environment.

mokugift on BzzAgent frogpond

2008-11-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy with our head down into our work that we forgot to blog about what we are up to.

Today we launched a 'frogpond' on BzzAgent. BzzAgent is an online community that describes itself as:
'Basically, you and your opinions build the Frogpond while you explore new things online and get to recommend them to friends and the rest of the world.'

A very astute member pointed out that we haven't blogged since August. Our bad.

Check out mokugift on frogpond here

branding and the environment

2008-08-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

If you've been watching our mokugift rewards page you will see that Branding Strategy Insider is new on our 'As Seen On' section. Branding Strategy Insider helps marketing oriented leaders and professionals build strong brands. They walk the talk. Brad, their Chief Brand Strategist, is on to his second Prius. Thanks to Derrick for linking to us from their blog, a AdAge Power 150 blog. It is a great read to get you thinking about your brand on a daily basis from new angles every day.

Powerfeedback

2008-08-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that Powerfeedback is now offering mokugift rewards as an option to market research customers. Scott, Powerfeedback's CEO, announced on his tumblr blog this a few days ago.

Scott has a ton of creative ideas and enthusiasm. Our brains are still processing some of the ideas.

image: from flickr by Gaetan Lee
creative commons