As a member of 1% for the Planet, we are committed to being good for the planet and therefore to running a carbon responsible business.
This is why we have worked with our first 1% for the Planet partner, Taking Root, to sequester our carbon emissions and support tropical reforestation.
To learn why carbon responsibility is important and what you can do to offset your carbon footprint, scroll on down.
How Businesses and Individuals Create Carbon Footprints
The day-to-day activities of businesses and individuals alike leave a carbon footprint. Think, for example, of the sheet of paper you might write your daily to do list on (if you’re a fan of old school methods and haven’t gone digital, that is). That sheet of paper likely came from a tree which then went through a lengthy process to be turned into paper and delivered to you.
Each of those steps from the original tree standing rooted in a forest all the way to the paper you are writing on resulted in carbon emissions. This means that your use of one sheet of paper has a quite complex carbon footprint.
Now imagine the footprints that might be produced by business-level procurement, logistics, travel, and day-to-day operations. It can get quite hefty!
We Are Responsible for Operating in Balance with the Planet
Our planet is an intricate and complex system that thrives most when it’s in balance, just like the human body. This means that it’s important to take into consideration how our activities might contribute to an imbalance—in this case of carbon in the atmosphere—and to take the necessary steps to counter this. After all, we want a home where communities can thrive and innovate together!
In terms of carbon emissions, working towards balance means:
- Becoming conscious of our carbon footprint (for example through a carbon footprint calculator such as Taking Root’s)
- Taking action to reduce it where possible
- Working to offset what we cannot reduce
- In Spring’s case, supporting entrepreneurs working towards next gen innovations that are good for the planet through our work and current partnership with Canopy
This is why we took steps with Taking Root to sequester our carbon emissions.
Sequestering Our Carbon Emissions with Taking Root
Taking Root was our first 1% for the Planet partner. This not-for-profit combines work in the carbon offset industry with incentivizing reforestation activities in Central America. They work with smallholder farmers to help improve their livelihoods through reforestation, mitigating climate change, and restoring critical ecosystems along the way.
How do they do it? Taking Root makes direct payments to farming families encouraged to plant native tree species as opposed to cutting down and selling wood for profit. These payments are made over time as the trees sequester carbon from the atmosphere, a service that is sold to partners across the world.
Through our 1% for the Planet membership, our 2019-2020 donation to Taking Root equaled the offset of 24 tonnes of carbon and helped support their social reforestation programs in Nicaragua.
To meet the participating farmers in the program and see its life-changing effects, visit Taking Root’s Communitree Platform.
We plan to continue running Spring Activator as a carbon responsible business by both offsetting our carbon footprint and reducing it where possible.
