Managing Director
Erik Harstad is the Managing Director of the two Norwegian companies Trees4Shopping AS and Trees4Cars AS. He has a lifetime experience in the car business, where he started as a salesman and became the owner of the most respected and award-winning Volvo dealership in Norway. He was one of the first pioneers of Total Quality Management and customer satisfaction in the car industry in Norway.
After years of successful operations, Erik sold his three Volvo dealerships, and subsequently invested in real estate, IT, and health and nutrition. In 2017, he took up the opportunity to work with Trees4Cars and Trees4Shopping and sees tree planting as a way to do good and help impoverished communities in Africa and the environment.
Who are we?
Trees4Shopping AS is a provider of banking services and offers a user friendly, fast, cost efficient, and most secure banking system, combined with a tree savings program that yields a whopping 10-times cashback in 14 years.
Our heart is set on helping East Africa out of poverty by sustainable business measures, and to change our environment into a greener one. We also seek to help people save for their future without disturbing their spending habits. We have therefore partnered with a reputable forestry company in Kenya, Better Globe Forestry Ltd, to propel our goals.
We have also partnered with Optherium Labs, which provides the most powerful, flexible, fast, and secure multi-decentralized private blockchain network that we use for our banking services and loyalty program.
Our Future
We have huge ambitions with our banking and tree savings program. The future looks green, not only for East-Africa, but also for everyone participating in our program who can look forward to their cashback.
Better Globe Forestry has a mission to plant 9 billion trees by the year 2044, or as many trees as there are people on earth. The expectations are to plant one million trees a day and a lot of planning has already begun for planting and to build production facilities to make furniture, hardwood flooring, and more. There are also trees other than mahogany that can be utilized for medicines, supplements, creams, oil etc. All these serve as income streams that help ensure a secure cashback process through our loyalty program in year 14.
Environment
A lot of today's debates concern climate change and our environment. There are conflicts around the cost of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and how to pay for the carbon footprint. Big polluters are reluctant to pay for their share. People are mostly reluctant to change their habits to decrease their carbon emissions. Little happens as the debates continue on.
Instead of accusing others with regard to pollution, we have created a system that lets you neutralize your carbon footprint as you shop. Every time you shop or pay your bills, you also pay 4% towards trees. Trees absorb carbon and produce oxygen; they also improve living conditions for food crops. They keep the soil moist, provide shadow and wind break, and hinder erosion. On top of that, you receive 40% as cashback from everything you shopped for in year 14. It is a great way to make money and help the environment at the same time.
Security
In times where hackers try to steal people's identities, bank details and account information, cybersecurity is of utmost importance. According to a CSIS report from February 2018, cybercrime reached as much as $600 billion — about 0.8 percent of the global GDP in 2017.
We take these threats very seriously and have therefore partnered with Optherium Labs. They provide the latest technology with unmatched security, which benefits everyone in our card and loyalty program. The prediction is that all banks will join this data storage and transmission system within few years. Our customers don't need to wait. They are already part of this military-grade system today and can enjoy bank services on the highest security levels.