April Change for Change Recipient: Co+op Forest

In collaboration with PUR Projet, we are working to offset our carbon emissions by purchasing trees to be planted in the Co+op Forest, a previously deforested region located in the Peruvian Amazon.

Co+op Forest includes both reforestation and conservation projects. Reforestation projects, in which farmers plant native tree seedlings, are important because as these trees grow they are absorbing carbon dioxide from the air and storing some of the carbon in their trunks. Planting native trees in tropical areas is especially beneficial because tropical trees reach maturity quickly, allowing them to store more carbon over their lifetimes.

Conservation projects protect old-growth trees from being clear-cut for timber or burned to make way for crops or other development. Protecting these trees is critical because their massive trunks are made up of tons of tiny carbon atoms; every carbon atom that remains locked up in a tree is one less carbon atom that will otherwise contribute to global warming.

During the month of April, we will match donations up to $2000, which translates to almost 700 new trees offsetting about 230 tons of CO2e! As of 2020, Co+op Forest includes an estimated 1.8 million trees which will offset at least 6,052 metric tons of CO2e within their lifetimes, while also providing income and environmental benefits to the surrounding community.