Firewood for the third world countries

Roots of common gourds could serve as cooking fuel in underdeveloped countries reducing the tree and shrub loss caused by gathering firewood.
Women in the third World spend one day per week scavenging scarce fuel adding to deforestation.
The taproots of gourds and squashes after being dried in the sun, burn more efficiently than wood. Women in Mexico, Senegal, and Niger tried the fuel and declared it highly flammable.
The plants grow in nutrient-poor soils but are inedible for the most part.

Tree Planting and Carbon dioxide.

The millions of trees planted as part of Earth Day activies will not seriously affect the global pollution for many years to come.
But it's worth the wait.
Each year a mature tree can consume as much as 50 pounds of carbon dioxide, one of the major contributors to the greenhouse effect.
Large sycamores and white mulberries are believed to reduce air pollution by nearly a third!