Calculate and Offset
Between travel, energy consumption, and other activities, the average American emits about 20 tons of carbon per year (Source). The US accounts for roughly 21% of global carbon emissions (Source).
Our offsets are created by planting primarily native tree species on formerly degraded land. This is carbon storage that you can actually see and touch, and that promotes rural development and tangible environmental improvement. We conservatively estimate that one hectare of our plantations sequesters six tons of carbon per year on average [1].
Since 2006, Planting Empowerment has planted over 22,000 trees across 20 hectares of land, resulting in the storage of 120 tons/year of carbon on average. These trees are at work right now drawing CO2 from the atmosphere and locking it into their trunks, roots, and surrounding soil.
Tree owners through Planting Empowerment also own the carbon their trees are sequestering. Some of our tree owners choose to use their trees to help offset their own carbon footprint, while others prefer royalties from carbon offsets produced by their trees.
Planting Empowerment's carbon credits are not certified because of the high cost related to certification and the small amount of carbon that our plantations sequester. Because of this, we are very transparent with our process and use conservative estimates of carbon sequestration rates. | [1] A study done by Potvin on the amount of carbon a hectare of Teak sequesters was found to be 350 tons per hectare over a 20-year period. PE does not plant 100% Teak, so there is a discount required because Teak on average grows quicker and sequesters more carbon than PE's blend of native species. Additionally, PE will harvest trees over time, so some of the carbon will be lost, but there will be an average amount of carbon sequestered on the land as the plantations are harvested and replanted. Thus, from the 350 tons over 20 years, PE uses 25 years (more time to sequester) and then discounts down to 150 total tons (less than 50% of study amount), equaling sequestration of 6 tons/year. The 6 tons per year per hectare is very conservative and confirmed by various outside forester.
Carbon storage of harvest-age Teak (Tectona grandis) plantations: Potvin, Catherine. Forest Ecology & Management; Feb2003, Vol. 173 Issue 1-3, p213, 13p. Potvin measures the amount of Carbon sequestered by one hectare of Teak to be 350 mt per hectare over 20-years. PE assumes less than 50% of the 350 metric tons over 25-years, or 6 tons/hectare per year sequestered. |
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