top of page

OUR FOUNDER, Gashaw tahir

Gashaw headshot.jpg
Gashaw 4.jpg
Gashaw 3.jpg
Gashaw 2.jpg

Gashaw Tahir, founder and CEO of GDF, is recognized internationally as the Father of the Green Movement
in Ethiopia. He started Greenland Development Foundation when he realized his home in Ethiopia had changed drastically because of severe deforestation, and so he started planting trees.

Mr. Gashaw’s past work of fighting deforestation by planting one million trees in Ethiopia has been recognized by the Ethiopian government and multiple environmental agencies, media, and countries around the world including:

  • An Ethiopian Green Hero - Gashaw Abdela Tahir (Ethiopian Herald - August 2009)

  • Mr. Gashaw Tahir - Example of Private sector “Green Hero” - Addis UN Environmental Program, Ababa Highlights (August 2009)

  • Gashaw Tahir Environmental Green Hero (Addis Admas News Paper - 2009)

  • Green Hero Award by the Ethiopian President (2009)

  • Gashaw Tahir Environmental Green Hero (Addis Zemen Newspaper - 2009)

  • Gashaw Tahir Environmental Green Hero (Reporter Megaze - 2009)

  • US State Department Recognizes Accomplishments Gashaw Tahir (February 2010)

  • Plant one million trees, to green hills that surrounded his home eroded and ruined due to deforestation. (ShareAmerica - Mar 15, 2010)

  • One Million Trees Counting, President Obama is Challenging People… (April 2010)

  • Planting One Million Trees, Arab News (April 2010)

  • Gashaw Tahir Fights Deforestation, Plants One Million Trees In Ethiopia, (Huffington Post - May 2010)

  • America Ecology TV, Friday Night at Movie Index featured Gashaw Tahir, Bill Gates, and others (June 2010)

  • Gashaw Tahir Replacing Forest in Africa, Environment in South Africa (June 2010)

  • Recognized at the G-20 Summit (June 2010)

  • UN Green National Hero Raises Awareness of Climate Warming (San Francisco, CA, preWeb - November 18, 2010)

  • International Tree Hero Earth Day (America.gov - 2010)

  • United Nations, We Plant Trees for Peace (Sacramento, CA - September 2017)

  • Gashaw Tahir, Replacing Forest in Africa (The White House Post)

bottom of page