--- title: "How to Save 500 million Trees per Year? | Bethlehem Dejene" url: https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/how-save-500-million-trees-year-bethlehem-dejene/ --- 1. [HOME](/) 2. [RESOURCES](/content-hub/) 3. [SEEDSTARS LIFE](/content-hub/life/) 4. HOW TO SAVE 500 MILLION TREES PER YEAR? | BETHLEHEM DEJENE ![Bethlehem Dejene - Podcast](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/7.max-1500x500.jpg) AFRICA • TECHNOLOGY ## How to Save 500 million Trees per Year? | Bethlehem Dejene Seedstars Global 03/02/2020 _“One thing I have realised from the whole pandemic crisis is that the world is currently living so that governments can take extreme measures when needed, so why are they so slow in reacting to the climate change crisis?_ “, Bethlehem highlights in our talk. More than ever, environmentalists like Bethlehem are convinced that the government can, and must, take more drastic measures when it comes to sustaining our only planet. Since her freshman year, she has been working on a solution that would not only solve the issue of agro-waste but also save trees. After years of working from her home and getting rejections on all fronts, Bethlehem finally managed to launch [**Zafree Papers**](https://zafreepapers.com/), which manufactures a 100% tree-free pulp, paper and paper products using agro-waste from small farm holders. She shares with us her challenges in building such a business, especially making sure that she can stick to her principle of being [**eco-friendly**](https://seedstarslife.com/summit/the-mag-environment) at all points in her supply chain. Nothing will stop this women leader, who is also known by her friends and colleagues as the “Iron Lady”, to deliver on her mission to transform the paper manufacturing industry into a 100% tree-free industry. The startup became the winner of the [**Land Restoration Prize**](https://www.seedstarsworld.com/summit/seedstars-summit-2020/prizes/) by [**DOEN**](https://www.doen.nl/what-we-do.htm), aimed at finding and awarding the best tech(-enabled) solutions in the land restoration and land degradation space. Speaker recommends reading [**Napoleon Hill: Think and Grow Rich.**](https://amzn.to/2ULSVH3) PROUDLY PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH [ ![DOEN](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/DOEN.max-350x350.png) ](https://www.doen.nl/home-1.htm) PODCAST / VIDEOCAST SEEDSTARS PODCASTS SEEDSTARS WORLD 2019/20 AFRICA CABO VERDE TECHNOLOGY CLEANTECH ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP ## More like this [ ![None](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/carlos-thumbnail.max-320x550.png) LATIN AMERICA • Saving Air Quality One Drone at a Time With qAIRa | Carlos Saito __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/saving-air-quality-one-drone-time-qaira-carlos-saito/) [ ![None](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/Celeste_Lupe_Solofa.max-320x550.png) OCEANIA • FINANCIAL SERVICES Bringing Online Payments to the Population with 3% Credit Card Penetration | Celeste (Lupe) Solofa __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/bringing-online-payments-population-3-credit-card-penetration-celeste-lupe-solofa/) [ ![Environment](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/environment.max-320x550.png) GLOBAL • ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES The Mag: Environment Around 3.5 billion to 7 billion trees are cut down each year, and during 2018 alone, 3.6 million hectares (8.9 million acres) of primary tropical forest disappeared. __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/mag-environment/) [ ![Kenza Lahlou](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/P2.max-320x550.png) MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA • INVESTMENT How Kenza Traveled the World to Find Her Calling and Started an African VC Fund | Kenza Lahlou Kenza was born in Morocco, but has quite a rich international experience: from France and Singapore, all the way to the USA. At some point, she found her calling and decided to go back to her home country. __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/how-kenza-traveled-world-find-her-calling-and-started-african-vc-fund-kenza-lahlou/) [ ![Advancing Learning for Millions of Kids](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/Kukua.max-320x550.png) AFRICA • EDUCATION & CONSULTING Advancing Learning for Millions of Kids Through Entertainment | Lucrezia Bisignani Lucrezia wanted to be an actress and started her entrepreneurial journey when she was 8 years old, selling crafts to give to those most in need. __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/advancing-learning-millions-kids-through-entertainment-lucrezia-bisignani/) [ ![Ann Pichestapong](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/P5.max-320x550.png) LATIN AMERICA • TECHNOLOGY Three Continents, One Data-Driven eCommerce Startup and a Baby | Ann Pichestapong In this episode, we meet Ann, founder and CEO of DataCue, who not only launched her own company but did it with her husband as her co-founder whilst travelling across Central and South America for their honeymoon! __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/three-continents-one-data-driven-ecommerce-startup-and-baby-ann-pichestapong/) [ ![Monthly Revenue](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/podcast_thumbnail.max-320x550.png) CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE • EDUCATION & CONSULTING From $300 to $60K Monthly Revenue and Serving 400,000 Students Worldwide | Daria Kroshkina With a passion for learning, growth and continuous development, Dasha turned the knowledge she used herself to secure scholarships. __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/300-60k-monthly-revenue-and-serving-400000-students-worldwide-daria-kroshkina/) [ ![Anastasia Hofmann](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/P6.max-320x550.png) CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE • FOOD & BEVERAGES What Gets Measured Gets Done: 200 000 Meals Saved and Counting | Anastasia Hofmann Anastasia went to the hospitality school in Lausanne, where she met her business partner, Noemi, and in 2017, they decided to launch Kitro, a startup that focuses on food waste management. __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/what-gets-measured-gets-done-200-000-meals-saved-and-counting-anastasia-hofmann/) [ ![One Woman’s Mission](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/Untitled_design_41.max-320x550.png) AFRICA • URBAN DEVELOPMENT One Woman’s Mission to Bring Wealth to the African Continent | Hilda Moraa In our episode, you’ll learn what a ‘chimba’ is and how Hilda is burning a trail for women as entrepreneurs in Africa. __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/one-womans-mission-to-bring-wealth-to-the-african-continent-hilda-moraa/) [ ![Latin America](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/Untitled_design_-_2020-11-11T154121.635.max-320x550.png) LATIN AMERICA • HR Bringing 1 Million Jobs to Latin America | Jessica Hammer Ever since she can remember, Jessica has been walking the streets of Venezuela protesting with her family against various injustices Venezuelan people suffer. __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/bringing-1-million-jobs-latin-america-jessica-hammer/) [ ![Women-Led Startups](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/Untitled_design_1.max-320x550.png) GLOBAL • TECHNOLOGY 7 Women-Led Startups That Impact People’s Lives in Emerging Markets Women make vast contributions to economies across the world, whether that’s in businesses, on farms, as entrepreneurs, or by doing usually unpaid domestic work. __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/7-women-led-startups-that-impact-peoples-lives-in-emerging-markets/) [ ![Rebecca Enonchong](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/Rebecca2.max-320x550.png) AFRICA • ENTERPRISE Rebecca Enonchong: To Be an Entrepreneur You Have to Be Crazy “If a black African woman could succeed in America in 1999, then all the entrepreneurs across the world can succeed!”, Rebecca Enonchong, tech entrepreneur, founder and CEO of AppsTech and iospaces. __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/rebecca-enonchong-be-entrepreneur-you-have-be-crazy/) [ ![Maanasa Mendu](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/Maanasa.max-320x550.png) GLOBAL • ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES Maanasa Mendu: Access to Clean Affordable Energy Maanasa cares. She cares as much as you do about the well-being of our planet and its citizens. Inspired by her trip to India and seeing how many people don’t have access to energy, __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/maanasa-mendu-access-clean-affordable-energy/) [ ![Tania Douglas](https://seedstars-com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/Tania.max-320x550.png) GLOBAL • TECHNOLOGY Tania Douglas: HealthTech Is Not Only About Tech In her speech, she addresses the global health issues and how they can be tackled with the technology in a smart way. __ ](https://www.seedstars.com/content-hub/life/tania-douglas-healthtech-not-only-about-tech/) --- ## Sitemap - [Sitemap](https://www.seedstars.com/sitemap.md): every public page on this site - [llms.txt](https://www.seedstars.com/llms.txt): what Seedstars does and where to start