Ant Forest, a green initiative in China, on Thursday received a 2019 "Champions of the Earth" award, the United Nations' highest environmental honor.

Ant Forest won the "Inspiration and Action" category of the award given by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) for turning the green good deeds of half a billion people into real trees planted in some of China's most arid regions. 

Xu Di, general manager of the Ant Forest initiative, and Shen Junliang, a representative app user, received the award. 

Launched by Ant Financial Services Group, an Alibaba affiliate, Ant Forest promotes greener lifestyles by inspiring users to reduce carbon emissions in their daily lives so as to better protect the environment. 

Ant Forest users are encouraged to record their low-carbon footprint through daily actions like taking public transport or paying utility bills online. For each action, they receive "green energy points" and when they accumulate a certain number of points, an actual tree is planted. Users can view images of their trees in real-time via satellite. 

"Leveraging digital technology connects us and brings us here," Xu told the award-giving ceremony. "This miracle is created by the power of digital technology."

Since its launch in August 2016, Ant Forest and its non-governmental organization partners have planted around 122 million trees in some of China's driest areas, including in arid regions in Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai and Shanxi. The trees cover an area of 112,000 hectares, making the project China's largest private-sector tree-planting initiative.

Another miracle is Shen, whose participation in the initiative changed his life. He helped plant 14 trees in three years and at the same time lost 120 pounds (about 54.4 kg) by adopting a completely green lifestyle.

"Go green should not only be an appeal from the UN or the governments and scientists, but also should engage everyone as a bottom-up approach. Only in this way can we see an inclusive green world coming," said Xu.