2019 was truly a landmark year for Terrapass, as well as a record year for our customers. In the last year, our customers have funded the reduction of over 1.2 billion pounds of carbon emissions. This effort was made possible through our third-party verified carbon emission reduction projects. Far from insignificant, these emissions reductions are the equivalent of taking 110,000 cars off the road for an entire year or planting 9.1 million trees**. This means 1.2 billion pounds less carbon in the atmosphere that would otherwise be capturing heat from the sun and increasing global warming. These reductions move us toward our mission of fighting climate change to ensure the successful future of a healthy earth as well as those that will live on it.
Even just in the United States, national carbon emissions can sometimes get into the trillions of pounds every year. With carbon emissions being the number one contributor to climate change, it is crucially important to our future that these numbers drastically decrease. Our customers have recognized that while it can be relatively simple to take preventative measures to reduce carbon emissions, it is extraordinarily difficult to reduce a carbon footprint to absolute zero due to the realities of everyday life. However, by calculating their carbon footprint and then funding our carbon offset projects, our customers have taken responsibility for their own carbon footprint. Each carbon offset certificate represents one metric ton, or 2,205 pounds, of carbon dioxide emissions removed from the atmosphere through various projects and community initiatives. Through these certificates, we can help fight climate change by creating avenues for sustainable practices on both the corporate and individual levels.
How did we offset our customers’ environmental impact?
There are, of course, many different ways to promote sustainability and reduce climate change. The funds from our customers supported over 20 carbon reduction projects across North America in 2019. Our Reforestation projects are dedicated to keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. Trees are natural carbon sequestration tools, and as such, their upkeep and maintenance are a crucial component to many of our projects. Our Mine Methane Capture project takes leaking methane directly from coal mines and redirects it to nearby natural gas pipelines, thereby allowing local residents and businesses to use those gases, instead of escaping into the atmosphere. Via our Farm Power project, methane is captured from organic waste from farms, and is turned into energy by an anaerobic digester in order to be readily used. Similarly, in our Landfill Gas Capture project, the gas released from the waste in landfills that would otherwise pollute our air is captured to produce energy. Finally, through our Wind Power projects, our funds help with the construction and maintenance of wind farms that provides carbon free energy to local communities.
Many of our consumer-funded projects not only support a cleaner environment, but also a healthy and sustainable community in the locations where our projects are housed. By selecting our projects in ways that integrate environmental, social, and economic components, we try to ensure that local residents are given the opportunity and responsibility to manage their local resources effectively and enjoy the benefits that come with this responsibility. By creating community investment, infrastructure, and jobs, we ensure that the funds of our customers are put toward making the most mindful and positive effect possible.
Through all of these projects, our customers have helped us make 2019 truly an amazing year. Our mission, to empower everyone to reduce the impact of climate change, has clearly resonated with a large community that cares deeply about the mark we leave on the earth. Our customers come to terraPass with long- term sustainability goals, and we help provide them with the knowledge to figure out how to offset their emissions, create an offset strategy that integrates our customer’s values, and implement that strategy that places their funds strategically in those projects which align with the goals and values of the customer. The funding of all of these projects has contributed immensely to restore the natural balance of the ecosystem, and brings us closer to a healthy and sustainable earth we can all live and thrive in.
**Environmental equivalencies are from the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator
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