PR| 2009-07-07: ETC Green has planted its first Jatropha orchard. Direct from Zambia, Africa, the seeds have been planted in a nursery and will be moved to a research and seed stock orchard when the saplings reach a height of about 1 meter.
Jatropha Curcas grow to a height of 1 meter about 1 month after germination. These trees will bear fruit and seeds themselves in about 8 months. ETC Green has also acquired seeds from Australia and Central America for additional research orchards.
ETC Green has set a goal of planting 5,000 acres of Jatropha orchards or about 4,000,000 trees over the coming years. While the rainforests of the world are still being leveled, we are planting new Jatropha forests to reduce CO2, increase oxygen, stabilize the soils and produce bio-oils to reduce US dependency on foreign petroleum. An acre of Jatropha trees will produce over 400 gallons of biodiesel per year.