Tree Canada is one of the players on the voluntary carbon market, allowing people to offset the effects of their activities through the planting of trees.
“It’s fine to purchase carbon credits that help a coal-fired plant in Poland switch to a cleaner way of producing electricity, but with planting trees you’re doing something that is tangible in the eyes of the community around you,” says Richard Walker, Tree Canada’s Director of Communications and Program Development.
The Grow Clean Air program allows individuals, companies and organizations to calculate their carbon footprint and then make a contribution in trees, which, so far, are the only reliable carbon-capture devices. In the targeted planting areas, these trees will also decrease habitat fragmentation and contribute to the long-term health of the surrounding forests.
Tree Canada has even established its own, third-party-verified certification program. Walker says it is currently the most stringent program available.
