Hello, I'm Stefan – husband, father of 3, biologist, and experienced endurance athlete from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with the ultimate life goal of planting as many trees as I possibly can. My mission is to accomplish this through challenging ultra-endurance events paired with fundraising campaigns. 
 
To kickstart this initiative, I'm preparing for a big challenge: crossing the English Channel in June 2025. Taking on the challenge of swimming in 15°C water wearing only a speedo, goggles, and a swim cap, this endeavor signifies not just a personal milestone but also my commitment to contributing to reforesting our planet. As of today, a total of 2,605 people have successfully crossed the English Channel since 1875. This feat will be observed through the Channel Swimming Association (<a href="https://www.channelswimmingassociation.com/target=_blankrel=noreferrertarget=_blankrel=noreferrertarget=_blankrel=noreferrer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.channelswimmingassociation.com/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.channelswimmingassociation.com/</a></a>). I have already hired a pilot who will guide me through the busy shipping lane of the English Channel. In June this year, I will be going to Dover for a 2-week training camp, also attempting to complete my 6-hour qualifying swim (update 2025: I wasn't able to finish the 6-hour swim in 2024 but have done it this year in La Jolla, California. See update below). Without this swim, I will not be able to attempt to cross the English Channel. Follow my updates through my social media (@carbs4trees on Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook), on Strava (<a href="https://www.strava.com/athletes/2224756target=_blankrel=noreferrertarget=_blankrel=noreferrertarget=_blankrel=noreferrer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.strava.com/athletes/2224756" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.strava.com/athletes/2224756</a></a>) as well as through my website <a href="target=_blankrel=noreferrer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.carbs4trees.com/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.carbs4trees.com/</a></a>. 
 
Today, I invite you to join me in a unique and impactful initiative, 'Burn Carbs, Plant Trees.' Trees, often called the lungs of our planet, play a crucial role in providing oxygen, regulating climate, and supporting biodiversity. However, the challenges of climate change, such as droughts and wildfires, pose a threat to these vital ecosystems. Together, let's make a difference. Your support in this endeavor not only encourages a healthier lifestyle by burning carbs (and not carbon) but also contributes to the planting of trees, nurturing sustainable ecosystems, and combating the adverse effects of climate change. 
 
In this fundraiser, I've chosen to partner with Project Forest (<a href="https://projectforest.ca/target=_blankrel=noreferrertarget=_blankrel=noreferrertarget=_blankrel=noreferrer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://projectforest.ca/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://projectforest.ca/</a></a>) to support the Siksika Nation Community Shelterbelt Rewilding Project (<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/this-first-nation-in-alberta-is-fighting-climate-change-with-rows-and-rows-of-trees-1.6992751target=_blankrel=noreferrertarget=_blankrel=noreferrertarget=_blankrel=noreferrer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/this-first-nation-in-alberta-is-fighting-climate-change-with-rows-and-rows-of-trees-1.6992751" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/this-first-nation-in-alberta-is-fighting-climate-change-with-rows-and-rows-of-trees-1.6992751</a></a>). Project Forest will handle the growth, planting, maintenance, and impact reporting for each tree at a cost of $6 per tree. All funds will go directly to Project Forest. Your contribution goes a long way in fostering a greener, healthier future. As a token of my immense gratitude, all donors will be commemorated on a special plaque after the fundraiser concludes! 
 
Join the movement now and be a part of preserving our planet for generations to come! 
 
Thank you! 

Stefan 

March 17, 2024

Bess Callard

Mark Donner

Guy Cohen

Lesley Baldwin

Derek Argust

Anonymous

Dallas Johnson

Brett Purdy

Matthew Mazurek

Kyle Le

Glenn Sloman

Damian Cirelli

Laura Gray-Steinhauer

Andreas Hamann

Burn carbs, plant trees - Swim The English Channel

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

Eligible for Profile Share Badge

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

Support Comments Allowlist

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

checkout headers audience

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

isEligibleForProfileBadge

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.3.0 and above

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Burn carbs, plant trees - Swim The English Channel

Still $7,675 to go. Help us build momentum.