As part of our ongoing commitment to the planet, we publish reports that update our readers on our sustainability progress each month. In September, we planted 5,550 trees and funded two Gold Standard projects.
Nearly 5,400 trees planted for our customers
For each web hosting, Managed WordPress, and VPS package our customers hold, we plant trees through Eden Reforestation Projects. This month, we planted 5,399 trees in Haiti, Indonesia, and Nepal.
In their Haitian project, Eden Reforestation Projects is planting fruit trees in towns and villages to build up food security and the local economy and also rebuilds mangrove forests along the coastline. In their Biak Island project in Indonesia, they are planting mangroves along the shoreline and rebuilding forests severely damaged by clear-cutting, storms, and tsunamis. And they work on three projects in Nepal, planting trees in the mountains as well as the grasslands to help support biodiversity and reduce erosion. They are also creating a buffer zone around the Chitwan National Park, providing further protection for wildlife.
Over 150 trees planted for our employees
Every month, we also offset our employees’ carbon footprints by funding tree-planting and sustainability projects through Ecologi and also add an extra 100 trees to our customers’ collection for Eden Reforestation Projects.
This month, Ecologi planted 20 mangroves in their Marotaola, Madagascar coastline project, 13 trees as part of their forest restoration in the Mau region of Kenya and their Dundori Forest project, 10 new trees in Zambezia, Mozambique, 5 trees in Tanzania, and one tree each in Morocco, Peru, and in Scotland.
Supplying more efficient stoves in Tanzania
Ecologi also funds Gold Standard Projects for us, and, this month, they’re helping to supply 500,000 energy-efficient stoves across Tanzania. With the current use of open fires or less-efficient stoves, more firewood or charcoal is used, causing more deforestation and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. By switching to these stoves, not only will less biomass be used, time will be freed up, air quality will be better, and cooking meals will cost less.
Helping Brazil use landfill methane to generate electricity
Ecologi is also helping Brazil to collect methane gas from two landfills and use it to generate electricity for the area. The Uberlândia Landfill I and II projects will collect methane gas from one landfill that has been full since 2010 and another landfill that is currently in use, and use it to power turbines that will generate electricity for the area. This will cut down on the fossil fuels used to power the area, as well as provide jobs in the area.
Through these projects, we have reduced our carbon footprint by an additional 224 tonnes, making it nearly 6,500 tonnes since we started. This is the equivalent of nearly 8,200 tonnes of rubbish being recycled instead of going to a landfill, nearly 12,000 metric tonnes of coal not being burned, over 10,000,000 litres of petrol not being used, and over 19 kilometres squared of sea ice being saved.
We’ll keep you updated every month with what we’re doing on our blog and our Green Credentials page. We hope you’re as happy with the work that we’ve done as we are.
