07/06/2026
One man jumped from the sky to save a dying forest. πΏ Brazilian skydiver Luigi Cani, known as "The Germinator," scattered over 100 million native tree seeds across a severely deforested region of the Amazon rainforest in January 2023. Plunging at over 300 km/h, he released seeds from 27 native tree species over a 38-square-mile deforested area deep in the heart of the Amazon. A biodegradable wooden box of more than one cubic metre carrying 300 kg of seeds was dropped from a plane at 14,000 feet, and Cani released the seeds at the precise height needed for even distribution.
This mission took five full years of meticulous planning, including obtaining 12 government permits and engineering a biodegradable seedbox from scratch. The seeds carry a projected germination rate of 95 percent and require no human intervention to grow, with trees capable of reaching up to 50 metres tall. π³ Cani's team continues monitoring progress by satellite. The long-term benefits include restoring biodiversity, improving air quality, and absorbing carbon dioxide at a massive scale. If one person with a parachute can plant 100 million trees, imagine what we could do together. π
Source: Luigi Cani, 100 Million Seeds Project, 2023. Supported by Audi do Brasil and BTG Pactual, Brazil.