Be a good corporate citizen.

Once upon a time, the corporate heads of many organizations had one concern: “How much money can we make and how fast can we make it?” Well, money still matters, of course. But today’s employers are finding that they have to care about more than just profits if they want to keep their employees happy. The environment, health, and safety have never been more in the spotlight, and as a result, employees want to work for companies who take these factors into consideration.

In fact, a study by the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College found that 30% of employers say that good corporate citizenship helps them recruit and retain employees. Good corporate citizens maintain high ethical standards, decrease the negative effects their company has on the environment, and give back to the community. A great example of a good corporate citizen is Patagonia, whose environmental activism program works to protect undomesticated lands and waters.

“There are many ways to become a good corporate citizen,” says Sujansky. “You can reward employees who carpool or use mass transit to get to work, you can set goals to reduce the amount of energy your organization uses, you can schedule monthly trips for employees to help out at local soup kitchens or get involved with programs such as Relay for Life or the March of Dimes.”

What is Global Warming?

The Greenhouse Effect

For millions of years, the naturally occurring greenhouse effect has played a crucial role in determining the Earth's climate. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane have trapped the Sun's heat near the Earth's surface, helping to evaporate surface water into clouds, which later return the water to Earth.

Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth's average temperature would be -18 degrees Celsius. The Earth would be a lifeless frozen wasteland. Instead, the greenhouse effect raises the Earth's average temperature by a full 33 degrees Celsius. Rain and the sun's warmth trapped by the greenhouse effect allow plants to grow and soils to form, and sustain the diversity of life. Plants and soils absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the air. For millions of years, a complex mixture of biological and hydrological systems released just enough carbon dioxide to maintain a fairly stable balance of these gases in the air.

Until now

For at least 160,000 years before the start of the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide never exceeded 300 parts per million. In 1992, carbon dioxide levels reached 355 parts per million.

In the absence of urgent action by the governments of the world, this level may rise even higher, to more than 600 parts per million in less than fifty years. At this concentration the world faces a very real and dangerous risk of catastrophic climate change.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is made up of the world's leading climate scientists. Their 1990 and 1992 reports estimated that some of the possible effects of rapid global warming could include:

• large-scale disruption of forestry, agriculture and fisheries;
• extinction of many plant and animal species on land and in the oceans;
• changing rainfall patterns;
• loss of huge tracts of coastal land under rising seas as the oceans expand;
• less access to less reliable water supplies in many parts of the world;
• serious adverse effects on human health

Source: Greenpeace

There are two primary methods of managing or reducing greenhouse gases.

Use Less Fossil Fuel Powered Energy

Increase The Number Of Trees

The alternative method to reduce net emissions of carbon dioxide is to increase the rate that it is absorbed out of the atmosphere. The process of removing or “sequestering” carbon dioxide occurs when photosynthesis takes place in trees or other plant life. Green plants take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and separate the oxygen and carbon atoms. The oxygen is released while the carbon is used to grow the plant biomass itself. The cycle continues, feeding the forest with life and cleaning the atmosphere.

According to a study conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, managed forests currently remove 300 million metric tons of carbon each year – equivalent to about 17 percent of total annual U.S. greenhouse emissions. This is equivalent to removing the carbon dioxide emissions from 235 million automobiles on the road per year.

The Prairie Tree Project is working to increase the number of trees on the planet and thereby reduce the net emissions of carbon dioxide.

What Are Carbon Offsets

Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by our most basic everyday activities of driving, flying or heating our homes.

Carbon offsetting is when you pay someone to remove an equal amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as your everyday activities contribute. At that point you become carbon neutral, meaning that the amount of CO2 generated by your lifestyle is the same as the amount of CO2 removed by your actions. Something to feel good about.

Where Did The Idea Of Carbon Offsets Come From?

More than a decade ago, an international treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, was created to form solutions to global warming. The Kyoto Protocol is an addition to that treaty. The Protocol sets legally binding measures in the form of greenhouse gas emissions targets for countries around the world. To achieve these targets, countries can limit or reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon offsets, or emissions trading, is a mechanism put in place by the Protocol to help countries meet their emissions targets by acquiring carbon offsets from other countries that have surplus.

When we talk about carbon offsets on a domestic level, rather than globally, we are referring to the voluntary market that has developed subsequent to the Kyoto Protocol. In this voluntary market, individuals and businesses are limiting and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions in the same way as countries: buying carbon offsets.

Project Prairie Tree offsets your emissions by planting trees, thus creating a carbon sink that removes and stores your carbon dioxide.

For more information, check out UNFCCC.com

Before You Buy Carbon Offsets

Step 1: Calculate Your CO 2 Emissions

Step 2: Reduce Your CO2 Emissions

Step 3: Recalculate Your CO2 Emissions

Once you have reduced as much of the CO2 emissions generated by your life as possible (or at least for the time being), use our carbon calculator to recalculate your carbon footprint.

Note: If you are not able to make radical lifestyle changes to reduce your emissions lickedy split – don’t worry! Even the greenest of us took months and years to curb habits that have been with us our whole life. Buying carbon offsets can be your first step in the journey.

Step 4: Buy Carbon Offsets

Buying carbon offsets is simple and easy on The Prairie Tree Project website. Once you’ve calculated your carbon footprint, you’ve done all the heavy lifting. You can choose to offset the emissions created by your driving, flying, home energy, your entire carbon footprint or from a number of offset programs to meet your needs. You can also buy gift offsets for friends, family and loved ones.

The Prairie Tree Project website will send you a Thank You Letter, Carbon Certificate and Prairie Tree Project Fridge Tips to help you further reduce your impact on global warming.

Step 5: Promote Being Carbon Neutral

Voluntary carbon offsets are just one part of the puzzle. Help others discover how simple and easy it is to really do something about global warming. Tell everyone you have gone carbon neutral.

Champion what you are doing for the planet. Plus, if you ever imagined yourself on the front lines, we would greatly appreciate you helping to Promote Us.

"Forests currently sequester about 200 million tons of carbon each year, offsetting 10% of fossil fuel emissions." U.S. Forest Service

"Greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are currently higher than has been seen in over 150,000 years." Greenpeace International

"Managed forests currently remove 310 million metric tons of carbon each year - equivalent to about 17 percent of total annual U.S. greenhouse emissions." (Equivalent to removing the carbon dioxide emissions from 235 million automobiles on the road per year) U.S. Forest Service
"For at least 160,000 years before the start of the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide never exceeded 300 parts per million. In 1992, carbon dioxide levels reached 355 parts per million, meaning that some climate change is already inevitable." IPCC

"The rate of change of temperature predicted by the IPCC is 15-30 times faster than any global temperature change ever known before." Allen M. Solomon

"About 40 percent of the Earth's land surface is covered by dense forest, shrub land and wooded grassland." United Nations FAO

"Forests have three vital functions. They help to regulate the Earth's climate, are home for millions of indigenous people and most of the Earth's terrestrial animals and plants, and they are the basis of a major global industry." Greenpeace International

"Forests contain about 2,000 billion tons of carbon." IPCC

"Tropical forests are disappearing at the rate of 17 million hectares a year, an area the size of the Netherlands every ten weeks." United Nations FAO

"The IPCC estimates that current fossil fuel and energy use trends will result in a doubling of 1990 greenhouse gas emissions by about 2030, and a quadrupling by the year 2100." IPCC
"The IPCC concluded that the only way to prevent a rapid build-up of greenhouse gases is to cut emissions by 6080 percent from 1990 levels, which amounts to a 96 percent cut from projected emissions in the year 2100." IPCC

"Phasing out fossil fuels will also eliminate acid rain, smog, and other forms of air pollution." Greenpeace International

"At the current rate of deforestation, most of the world's natural forests will be gone in a few decades." Greenpeace International

"Even one small office can emit 3 to 6 tons of CO2 in a year." The Carbon Trust
"Scientific American introduces the lead article in its special issue this month with the following sentence: “The debate on global warming is over.”" Al Gore

"Many scientists are now warning that we are moving closer to several “tipping points” that could – within as little as 10 years – make it impossible for us to avoid irretrievable damage to the planet’s habitability for human civilization." Al Gore

"295 American cities have now independently “ratified” and embraced CO2 reductions called for in the Kyoto Treaty." Al Gore, NYU Sept 18, 2006

"Our natural role is to be the pace car in the race to stop global warming." Al Gore
"The United States and Australia are the only two countries in the developed world that have not yet ratified the Kyoto Treaty." Al Gore, NYU Sept 18, 2006

"We put 70 million tons of it [CO2] into the atmosphere every 24 hours and the amount is increasing day by day." Al Gore

"This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue. It affects the survival of human civilization. It is not a question of left vs. right; it is a question of right vs. wrong. Put simply, it is wrong to destroy the habitability of our planet and ruin the prospects of every generation that follows ours." Al Gore
"Climate models suggest that by the later part of the twenty-first century, humanity must reduce global GHG emissions by about 50 percent from their present rates to avoid dangerous climate change." Harnessing Farms and Forests in the Low-Carbon Economy, The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions

In December 1997, in Kyoto, Japan, 160 countries reached an agreement that industrialized countries would, by 2008 to 2012, collectively reduce GHG emissions by 5.2% relative to their 1990 emissions.

What You can do to Help the Environment

• A Step Ahead. Use the stairs instead of the elevator for short trips. You'll save electricity and get some exercise too!

• Garbage–free grub. Bring your lunch to work in reusable containers and take home recyclables and compostables if collection facilities don't exist at the office.

• If your workplace does not have an organized recycling program, encourage your employer and fellow employees to start one. Organize one yourself by (a) establishing conveniently located collection sites, (b) providing collection boxes or containers, (c) informing and reminding co–workers of the sites, and (d) arranging for pick–ups by a recycling firm.

• Try to have items that no longer work repaired, rather than discarding and replacing them, or donate them for repair and future use.

• Encourage your employer to purchase and, if appropriate, manufacture products that are less harmful to the environment.

• Follow and encourage environmentally safe practices in the storage, use and disposal of hazardous wastes at the work site.

• Team up! If your workplace does not have car pools, volunteer to organize one.

Energy Efficiency

• Save energy by turning off lights and equipment at night. Turning off idle equipment can save up to $100 per workstation over a year.
• Encourage your building manager to have energy and water audits performed and to develop water and energy management plans. Replacing old equipment with water–efficient and energy–efficient fixtures can significantly reduce operating costs.

Water Conservation

• Always turn taps off tightly so they don't drip. Watch for and report drips or leaks to the building manager. Be sure someone repairs them promptly.
• Troubled toilets. Watch for leaks from toilet tanks into toilet bowls, at the base of toilets, or around urinals, and report them promptly to the building manager.

Paper Use

• Look for the EcoLogo M on paper and other office supplies. All purchases should be made with environmental considerations in mind.
• Double–up! Produce double–sided documents and photocopies.
• Reduce paper usage by using electronic mail.
• Collect paper that has previously been used on one side and re–use it for fax messages, draft documents and notepads.

Re–Use

• Pass items you no longer need on to co–workers who can make use of them.
• Save and re–use binders, file folders, envelopes, paper clips, elastics, etc.
• Use your own re–usable coffee cup, rather than a disposable cup.

If you pledge to do nothing else to help the environment other than remember the following statement, then that will be a good start for you. And here it is:

“Reduce – Re Use – Recycle”

Find out Just What Your Carbon Footprint Really Is

Now you can easily calculate your annual CO2 emissions using this Carbon Footprint Calculator supplied by the folks at www.prairietreeproject.com Just follow the instructions and away you go. In no time you will be able to see just what your carbon imprint on the planet really is.

People you should really get to know

Nowadays there are plenty of retailers and suppliers of sustainable and “green” merchandise just about anywhere you look. We heartily recommend that you seek these suppliers out and change how you shop or do business to embrace the most sustainable products available. Below is a small list of some of the more outstanding products, suppliers and just generally helpful websites available today. Visit them and be amazed at what you can do for the environment.

Blue Lime Retail Ltd . – www.blue-lime.co.uk or www.bluelimenorthamerica.comThe absolute best place to find funky, fresh and sustainable products for the “shop fitting” industry which can be up to 100% recyclable. If you are a retailer and really want to be easy on the environment then contact the folks at Blue Lime Retail.

Prairie Tree Project – www.prairietreeproject.com The Prairie Tree Project helps people and companies become carbon neutral. They offer strategies for you to reduce your impact on the climate and provide a simple and fast way for you to offset your carbon footprint: by planting trees on the Colorado prairie.

Lighthouse Sustainable Building Centre – www.sustainablebuildingcentre.com Light House Sustainable Building Centreis an enterprising non-profit society dedicated to advancing and catalyzing sustainability in British Columbia 's built environment.

US Green Building Council – www.usgbc.org The U.S. Green Building Council's core purpose is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.

Canada Green Building Council – www.cagbc.org Works for pretty much the same goals as the US organization.

Greener Buildings – www.greenerbuildings.com The resource for environmentally responsible building development is a free, Web-based resource to help companies of all sizes and sectors understand and address building design, construction, and operation in a way that aligns environmental responsibility with business success.

Green Works – www.greenworksbuildingsupply.com GreenWorks Building Supply Inc. was founded by Pete McGee and Alastair Moore in 2006. The company offers homeowners a one-stop shop for environmentally friendly building materials. GreenWorks’ goal is to provide its customers in Vancouver and across Canada the best options for creating healthy, beautiful spaces – both inside and outside the home.