All of us can make a personal and powerful contribution to the effort to save the planet for ourselves, our children and future generations through the Voluntary Carbon Market.
Climate change is not coming. It is already here. We cannot wait to take action - we must do it today. One of the ways we can help our children, grandchildren and future generations is by making an effort to offset our own carbon footprint. It's easier than most of us imagine. And it can be done with minimal effort.
Bruce Calhoun is the President of Save The Rainforest and is the author of a new bestselling book, 'Averting The Climate Change Abyss'. He recently posted an article in which he described how he offset his own carbon footprint:
I try to tread lightly on the planet. I weather-strip, make use of passive solar, and keep my thermostat at 67 degrees in the winter and 77 degrees in the summer. I also multipurpose when running errands in the car, and bicycle almost everywhere weather permitting. Even so, I am adding CO2 to the atmosphere; exacerbating climate change and thereby contributing to the demise of coral reefs, polar icecaps and low lying coastlines. So I asked myself, how do I ameliorate my negative impact on Mother Earth? The answer came in a flash; I offset my carbon emissions through the Voluntary Carbon Market.
Here’s how I did it. I went to the website of Save the Rainforest, Inc. and selected a project that sold carbon credits. I chose a renewable energy project in India – which took me to the website of the United Nations Carbon Offset Platform – entered 16 tons (average annual footprint for a North American) in the purchase box and clicked “add to cart”. That was it. I paid $49.60 with my MasterCard and became a Net-Zero carbon emitter. The whole process took me five minutes.
But, I didn’t stop there. I wanted to do more. So I went back to the Save the Rainforest, Inc. site and selected another project. This time it was a project that protected rainforests, coastal wetlands and mangrove estuaries in Guatemala. The project offered credits at a higher price, but I decided to offset one more ton of CO2 because the project had so many co-benefits (aside from sequestering carbon it preserved critically endangered habitat and drastically improved the lives of local peoples). This brought the total cost of my carbon offsetting portfolio to $69.60 and took me only a few extra minutes.
If you are an individual inclined to follow my example all you have to do is go to www.savetherainforestnow.org to get started. If you own a small business or are the CEO of a corporation you can also get started by going to the website. You can look over the same projects and afterwards contact me to receive your “Road Map” to offsetting your carbon emissions. The map will guide your through the process of finding project developers from whom you can purchase a large number of credits at a greatly reduced price.
The Save the Rainforest, Inc. website is not the only place you can access crucial information on carbon offsetting. My latest book, Averting the Climate Change Abyss, has just come out on Amazon. It features carbon offset projects as well, but also puts everything in perspective; beginning with a Humpty Dumpty analogy and ending with a tale of three climatologists stranded on a desert island.
Bruce's new book elucidates the importance of tropical forests as a repository of biodiversity, a home to indigenous people and a storehouse for carbon. Short and succinct, it also provides an easy-to-follow roadmap on how businesses, institutions and individuals can offset their carbon footprint through the Voluntary Carbon Market, which topped one billion dollars in trades during 2021 and is expected to expand 15-fold by the end of the decade. The e-book recently hit #1 in conservation. One Amazon reviewer said, "This is an important read for all, especially educators, who are committed to understanding and teaching about the role of rainforests and global climate change. Bruce does a deep dive into rainforest conservation and the ecological services they provide our planet. I am especially impressed with the bibliographical links and climate change action resources at the end of the book. Well done! An excellent read and resource!”
The new book is available at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Bruce-Calhoun/e/B001K7VUVK/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1.
The legacy of Save The Rainforest, Inc., founders Bruce Calhoun, Butch Beedle, and the early teacher and student Founders is real. Over 10,000 students have participated in life-changing trips and over $500,000 has been donated to protect and rehabilitate rainforest land.
Their vision for the future is broad in scope. With partnerships and a dedicated and professional staff, they support indigenous youth in their quest to become the next generation of forest protectors. They have worked with the Yakum Foundation for years and are supporting their efforts to protect their rainforest in Ecuador and build cultural, medicinal and food sovereignty.
Once the pandemic subsides, they intend to send thousands of students from all over the world on Save The Rainforest trips (the majority are which are from disadvantaged backgrounds) and protect 20,000+ more acres of vital, climate stabilizing rainforest over the next five years.
Bruce Calhoun is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at saverfn@gmail.com. More information on the Voluntary Carbon Market and 'Averting The Climate Change Abyss' is available at the Save The Rainforest website at https://www.savetherainforestnow.org.
About Save The Rainforest:
Save The Rainforest is a pioneering nonprofit founded by Bruce Calhoun and other educators and students in 1988. Since inception, more than 10,000 students have participated in their high-quality and sustainable trips. They have donated more than $500,000 to rainforest conservation efforts.
Contact:
Bruce Calhoun
saverfn@gmail.com
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