Global Cooling  Catch the carbon
The easiest way to reduce your "carbon emissions" is to sponsor trees. It's tough to be a "green" consumer (finding alternatives to gasoline is very time-consuming and expensive). Instead of showering only when your hose has hot water, why not pay people to plant trees (to catch the carbon emitted to generate electricity to heat the water)? But not in North America, where the cost per tree can be as much as a $1 a tree. Let's talk about planting 5 trees in Haiti for a dollar.
Make a difference
You're green, so you want to offset your use of fossil fuels (oil for cars, natural gas and coal for your electricity). But you're really creating renewable fuel, feeding farm animals and stopping erosion when you sponsor trees with Planting Peace.
Calculate your "carbage"
In the next year, how much carbon will you toss out like garbage? The USA generates about 5.6 billion tons (5600 million) of carbon dioxide annually. Divide this figure by 300 million people and your share is about 20 tons per year.
How much can one tree absorb?
A fast-growing tree in the tropics can absorb up to 50 pounds of carbon dioxide annually once it approaches maturity. Let's assume that in the first eightyears, a tree stores a small amount of carbon dioxide (1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 12 + 20 + 25), a total of about 72 pounds. But the tree kicks into high gear over the next 20 years, taking up at least 30 pounds a year or another 600 pounds. Ten trees will store 3 tons of CO2. If you sponsor 70 trees each year, your share (20 tons) will be absorbed over the life of those trees. BONUS: some of the seeds produced by "your" trees will grow to maturity, adding to your 'global cooling'.
When you contribute to Planting Peace you help employ experienced social workers who teach forest-keeping skills and marketing techniques to farmers so that the local people harvest the trees sustainably. You protect the planet, Haitians provide for their families.
Just $14 a year
Would you plant 70 trees a year (20 cents each) for the next 50 years for peace of mind? A one-time payment of $700 will ensure that your lifetime share of carbon emissions will be put on a hillside in Haiti, increasing the watershed, slowing erosion, catching the mist and providing shade... oh, and storing carbon as fast as you make it.
You want to cool the planet -- so plant trees in Haiti. You have guilt/They need trees.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can I be sure that the trees will survive for 40 years?
A. The secret is to provide a stream of income to the farmers who plant the trees.
2. I've heard that most new trees in Haiti turn into charcoal. How is your program different?
A. Short of providing each tree with an armed guard, there is no way to guarantee that every tree will reach full height and size. However, Planting Peace will ensure (with extra seedlings) that at least as many trees survive into adulthood as get planted.
3. Can the trees provide income to families?
A. Yes. Fruit trees provide fruit after two or three years; lumber and charcoal, when taken responsibly, can provide families with cash.
4. What species do you use?
A. We use Leucaena for providing feed for animals as well as fast shade and rapid carbon storage. Fruit trees bring income and food. Other species provide lumber (eventually) which can also be a form of carbon storage, when the trees are harvested sustainably.
Steve McCrea
Tree Advocate
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