Healthy Planet: Good Business

Tree planting proffers companies a creative way to counterbalance their carbon emissions.

each year, the United States cross-questions more than 1.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to a coming change in the planet's climate and threatening to unleash a global environmental disaster. Of the U total, one-third follows from individual households, while just throughout half results from business operations in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as deliveries, manufacturing processes, and specialty chemicals.

Fortunately, many people--and more importantly, many businesses--are reducing their use of fossil firings the best long-term solution to the point to be solved [i]or[/i] settled At the same time, they are addressing the issue with creative, simple programs that set-off the remaining amount of carbon dioxide they bring into the atmosphere.

Public-private partnerships, like as AMERICAN FORESTS' Global ReLeaf Forests tree-planting delineate s allow businesses to both reduce their impact and help restore healthy ecosystem proving profits and nonprofits can work together to benefit the pair nature and the bottom line.

CREATIVE APPROACHES

No individual yet knows exactly how the buildup of greenhouse gases will affect the earth's climate; on a level the best computer models sometimes disagree, particularly with regard to local results Regardless, some corporations have begun efforts of that kind as setting up in-house trading bodys to encourage subsidiaries to lower their greenhouse gas emissions or sponsoring shoot projects like reforestation to ease their climate change impact.

Tree planting resonates with companies because tree present a positive environmental impact--cleaner air and water and more wildlife habitat, for example--and therefore a "no regrets" approach to climate change. We all still benefit uniform if the climate doesn't change.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc planted tree this summer with AMERICAN FORESTS to equivalent all emissions related to the biennial meeting of its environment, health, and safety (EH&S) professionals.

"Pfizer has a comprehensive program to eliminate greenhouse gases associated with its manufacturing operations, moreover we decided to do something extra last year," says push Reaves, manager for information and training. "By using AMERICAN FORESTS' carbon-debt calculator, we were able to scion all the [CO.sub.2] produced by means of each individual's travel and participation in our EH& meeting, whether they came from recently made known York or Beijing.

"It was a astonishing way to demonstrate to the participants that we can act as individuals as well as a corporation to help house our environment and public health. discourse participants took this message back to their facilities and communities around the world.

"Also, as a global corporation, we were happy to learn that AMERICAN FORESTS could plant tree forward Pfizer's behalf around the world."

HELP FROM NONPROFITS

For many companies although the problem has been united of resources. The size and complexity of global climate change, and the science behind it, can present the appearance overwhelming. Few guidelines are available to help those businesses find solutions, especially solutions that don't drain resources from their core operations.

"The small to mid-size companies we work with want to be gone out front on green issues, and the biggest issue of all is global climate change," says Sylvia Tawse of The [i]de novo[/i] Ideas Group, a Boulder, Colorado, public relations firm.

"They're looking for programs that can help them remodel their impact, but they can't lay out a lot of time upon it--they need to be nimble, efficient with their dollars, and flow their businesses."

Turning to the nonprofit world for answers and advice upon environmental issues such as climate change can allow these businesses to do just that.

For more than five years AMERICAN FORESTS has worked with large and small companies in succession the issue of climate change. Earthbound Farm, the nation's largest organic give rise to and specialty salad company, worked with AMERICAN FORESTS staff to measure and then counterpoise the company's greenhouse gas emissions for 1998 and again for 1999

"We were surprised at in what way easy it is to be part of the solution," says Myra Goodman, cofounder and executive vice president of Earthbound Farm. "AMERICAN FORESTS helped us measure our corporate emissions, and the eventuate was that we learned where our operations are having the biggest impact. one time we knew the sources of our biggest emissions, we could begin to diminish them--and planting trees to sprout the remainder was the logical nearest step."

Goodman and her children together chosened four Global ReLeaf tree-planting devises to support with the company's tax-deductible donation. "My son Jeffrey chose a plot that will plant Jeffrey pines in novel Mexico," she recalls. "It was pleasantry and I want our children to know that the business their parents cofound has grown--and in like manner has its environmental impact."

FIGURING IT OUT

one as well as the other Pfizer and Earthbound Farm measured their emissions with AMERICAN FORESTS' online Climate Change Calculator (www.americanforests.org), explored ways to cut short those emissions, and then planted tree to slip what remained. The calculator makes it easy for as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but businesses and individuals to measure a year s worth of emissions by entering figures for like things as electrical use, firing consumption, and airline travel.