The Lebanese cedar is a symbol of national pride. But due to urban growth and climate change, they are going extinct. And traditional conservation efforts often get lost on the preoccupied, young Lebanese generation. So we found a way to spread our message in a language Lebanese youth could understand—music.

We discovered that all trees emit high-frequency sounds that, when slowed down, become unique, repetitive rhythms. With the help of bioacoustic engineers, using embedded sensors and EKGs, we were able to extract multiple samples of these sounds from a cedar tree. We then collaborated with Beirut’s top DJs to remix the individual rhythms with melodic elements, to create the first House track, featuring the voice of a Lebanese cedar.

This was made available for online purchase,with all proceeds going to cedar conservation.

For the first time ever, the Lebanese cedar's voice could be heard by the public. And the fact that we were able to create a unique House track through it, meant our conservation message became more relevant to the Lebanese youth than it had ever previously been.

We launched at 5 of Beirut’s most prominent nightclubs, reaching thousands of people within the first weekend. The track received free radio airplay and found its way onto the top stations’ playlists, reaching a total listenership of 1.2 million. The story was shared by our target and became a trending topic throughout Lebanon, helping us gain 5,100 downloads, raising almost $16,000 for cedar conservation, in the first week. Our conservation drive is still in progress, but at this rate, we're well on our way to meeting our $100,000 goal.