It sometimes feels like it is an uphill battle when it comes to fighting climate change and it can be overwhelming knowing where to start. Our team here at TreeEra has comprised five actionable items that you can take today to reduce your carbon footprint and offset your carbon usage. Remember that good things take time and any action you take today helps to make a difference in creating a greener future.


What is a Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by our day-to-day lifestyle choices.

Action #1: Plant Trees. Planting trees is a simple answer to a complex problem. Trees are a measurable gesture of social responsibility and a single tree can offset up to one ton of CO2 in its lifetime. Trees also regenerate themselves over time so the more we plant the more carbon we can sequester in the future.

Action #2: Eat Less Meat & Dairy. Avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. Research shows that without meat and dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced by more than 75% – an area equivalent to the US, China, European Union and Australia combined – and still feed the world.

Action #3: Give Your Car a Break. Choose cycling, walking, and public transit over driving wherever possible. Changing your commute habit to include modes of active transportation has been identified by the UN Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) as a valuable way to save energy and mitigate climate change especially for short distances.

Action #4: Buy Local. Supporting local agriculture, such as farmers markets and comm

unity business offering local products, helps the environment by reducing food mileage. Extra benefits of buying local include fresher produce, supporting the local workforce, and protecting local land and wildlife by keeping farms open, reducing urban development in rural environments.

Action #5: Ditch the single-use plastic. The truth is you can’t recycle plastic. The timeline for a

plastic bag to decompose is over 400 years. This stays the same even when we send plastic to a recycling plant. Plastic that is ‘recycled’ is really broken down into smaller and smaller pieces known as “microplastics” which are then reintroduced into landfills or the ocean. These small particles then end up in the fish we eat and the water we drink.”

Research ultimately shows that consumers are conscious about their environmental impact and are in favour of supporting companies that make efforts to operate sustainably, yet often lack the knowledge to make informed decisions. In fact, according to a recent Neilsen report, 55% of global online consumers across 60 countries said: “they are willing to pay more for products and services provided by companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact”.

Are you a business owner? Check out our 1:Tree and Tree Certified programs to find a sustainable business solution that fits your company’s needs. Are you and individual looking to offset your carbon footprint? We have you covered with a variety of monthly subscription programs tailored for everyones budget.