As soon as I decided to start Petimo, I knew I wanted to make it environmentally responsible from the get go. With what we know today about the climate crisis. I really wanted to avoid starting a new business that could contribute to the crisis. I want Petimo to be a positive part of a better future.
So I started my research. There are two sides to creating a sustainable business, firstly reducing the carbon generated in the first place and secondly offsetting the remaining carbon footprint. So, I started by choosing boards that are FSC certified and at least partly if not 100% recycled. Fortunately, there are more and more choices of recycled board these days. Eventually, I’d hope everything can be 100% recycled. I’ve chosen to work with printers who work hard to reduce their impact too.
At first, I thought it would be simple to get trees planted on Petimo’s behalf and offset carbon that way. But, as soon as I started looking into carbon balancing, I realised that it’s a pretty controversial subject. Carbon balancing has become a big business and the potential for greenwashing is very real. I discovered that tree planting isn’t quite as valuable as it might first appear. There are some drawbacks to carbon offsetting through just planting trees.
First, trees take time to grow and mature, so the benefits may not be immediate. Second, trees can be affected by factors such as disease, pests, and weather conditions, which can lead to them dying and releasing carbon back into the atmosphere. Third, planting trees requires a significant amount of land and resources. Finally, carbon offsetting through planting trees may not be permanent unless the trees are managed properly over the long term. In other words, the carbon benefits of planting trees can be offset by other factors, making carbon offsetting through simply planting trees less effective than it initially appears.
Of course, reforesting deforested areas is important work but again long term management and protection is vital and again the trees will take many, many years to contribute significant carbon biodiversity benefits. Existing forests have taken millennia to mature into amazingly complex ecosystems. They support countless uniquely valuable species of plants and animals. There is no way of replacing them. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever. Currently, the world isn’t doing to great a job of protecting them.
Conserving our existing forests is vital if we are to stay within 1.5C of global heating. They act as carbon sinks, absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere and releasing oxygen. Tropical forests are particularly important. The total amount of carbon emitted and absorbed in the tropics is four times larger than in temperate regions and boreal areas (the northernmost forests) combined. However, the ability of tropical forests to absorb massive amounts of carbon has waned in recent years. The decline in this ability is because of large-scale deforestation, habitat degradation, and climate change effects, like more frequent droughts and fires. It’s imperative that we safeguard as much tropical rainforest as possible as soon as possible.
Shockingly, according to The Guardian over 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by the biggest supplier are actually worthless. But experts say that offsets, when they are correctly managed, can be a wise investment for the good of the planet.
According to the World Land Trust, land purchase is both the ultimate protection for biodiversity and one of the most effective ways of tackling climate change.
Currently, 15% of land on Earth is protected. This figure needs to jump to 50%, scientists say, if we are to reverse biodiversity loss and stabilise our climate. This “Global Safety Net” is made up of proposed and pre-existing protected areas all over the world, chosen for their carbon storage capacity and rich species assemblages. Many occur in the four countries that comprise The World Land Trust’s Carbon Balanced programme: Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Vietnam.
It soon became clear to me that supporting World Land Trust was the best way for me to contribute to tackling the climate crisis. Their Carbon Balancing Scheme is set up to make it easy for businesses to offset their carbon in a meaningful and impactful way.
As Petimo grows, I’m looking forward to being able to do more and more to support their amazing work. Every card you buy from me contributes to this amazing cause so thank you for your support, it literally means the world.
References:
https://www.worldlandtrust.org/what-we-do/carbon-balanced/offsetting-for-organisations/climate-change-the-responsibility-of-corporates/
https://auditel.co.uk/carbon-offsetting-planting-trees/#:~:text=In%20a%20single%20year%2C%20an,amount%20of%20human%2Dcaused%20emissions.