About
Protect Earth is a registered charity in England and Wales. Our purpose is simple: we aim to plant, and help people plant, as many trees as possible in the UK to help mitigate the climate crisis.
We work with landowners, environmental and voluntary organisations, and the general public to access land, plant trees and monitor their development.
Founded in 2020, we work for the common good and are focused on action. We are also dedicated to good governance, with a transparent ethos. Every penny donated to us and spent is for one thing: preserving this planet for future generations.
As well as sourcing land and planting trees, we assist with: resources and education, project management and ongoing support for the forests we have planted.
Protecting the planet for future generations doesn't happen in a vacuum. We are proud to have formed strong relationships with housing developers, local authorities, professional funders, individual donors and NGOs.
We are just getting started. We are working within the UK for now, but will eventually expand internationally. After all, the business of preserving our environment isn't the purview of any one country or group of people - it is a mission for all of humanity - the most challenging of the 21st century.
To discuss how you can get involved, get in touch with us.
Meet The Team
Phil Sturgeon - Chair
Phil is a software engineer by trade, and the only person on the team without a dog. This might need to change. Phil grew up between Bristol and Bath, and moved to New York City to “make it big” in tech. After spending some time trying to save the world with a carpooling app, he ended up working for a company that sold expensive coworking spaces, and realised he wasn’t doing much to help fight for the climate anyore.
Escaping the concrete jungle of New York City, Phil spent the next 2 years cycling around Europe as a bike nomad, fundraising 100,000 trees with various charities, and pushing people to get their carbon footprint as low as possible. Protect Earth was a logical extension of those goals, as Phil now cycles from site to site, putting up fences, weeding, planting trees, then off on the bike to the next one.
Andy Herd - Trustee
Andy is a software engineer based in West Lothian, Scotland.
Prior to Protect Earth he coordinated a whitewater canoe slalom competition for many years and also volunteered with Livingston Round Table, helping to raise £100,000 for local charities and good causes.
He enjoys spending time enjoying the great British outdoors and he’s passionate about fighting climate change to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy this beautiful planet.
Edd Stone - Trustee & Treasurer
Edd is a Chartered Accountant with over 10 years’ experience of working with charitable organisations of various sizes. Having trained with a large accountancy firm specialising in the charitable sector, he went on to act as Finance Manager for a local charity for three years to get some hands-on experience. Edd now manages the finances of several charities and businesses, applying his love for technology to help them achieve their goals.
Edd lives in Corsham and enjoys keeping active in the Great Outdoors with his dog Rufus. Be it kayaking, climbing, hiking, cycling, running, he rarely sits still!
Steve Wiltshire - Ecologist
Steve has been fascinated with the natural world since childhood. He has worked in nature conservation for 15 years with organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Wildlife Trusts and Natural England. He enjoys reading and writing about wildlife, and has written numerous articles for ‘Birdwatching’ magazine. Steve currently lives in rural Herefordshire where he enjoys looking for butterflies, dragonflies, and birds… often accompanied by his Jack Russell ‘Stanley Kubrick.’
Kathy Sturgeon - Events Coordinator
Kathy is a retired primary school teacher who was her school’s environmental education subject leader. As a Brownie Guider and pack holiday advisor for many years Kathy was able to share her love of nature outside the school environment too. Nowadays, when she is not enjoying her own garden and family time, she volunteers with Protect Earth as Events Organiser.