WORKSHOP This page is part of the Online Course about Global Cooling Action Campaign. You can learn more by writing to TheEbookMan@gmail.com Steve McCrea compiled a Global Cooling Answer Book in 1995 with Trees for the Future (Plant-Trees.org) Look for pieces of the book on Scribd.com http://sites.google.com/site/theebookman/Home/book-and-video-projects/global-cooling THE FOLLOW PASSAGE appears on PlantingPeace.org Catch the carbon The easiest way to reduce your "carbon emissions" is to sponsor trees. It's tough to be a "green" consumer (finding alternatives to gasoline is very time-consuming and expensive). Instead of showering only when your hose has hot water, why not pay people to plant trees (to catch the carbon emitted to generate electricity to heat the water)? But not in North America, where the cost per tree can be as much as a $1 a tree. Let's talk about planting 5 trees in Haiti for a dollar. Make a difference You're green, so you want to offset your use of fossil fuels (oil for cars, natural gas and coal for your electricity). But you're really creating renewable fuel, feeding farm animals and stopping erosion when you sponsor trees with Planting Peace. Calculate your "carbage" In the next year, how much carbon will you toss out like garbage? The USA generates about 5.6 billion tons (5600 million) of carbon dioxide annually. Divide this figure by 300 million people and your share is about 20 tons per year. How much can one tree absorb? A fast-growing tree in the tropics can absorb up to 50 pounds of carbon dioxide annually once it approaches maturity. Let's assume that in the first eightyears, a tree stores a small amount of carbon dioxide (1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 12 + 20 + 25), a total of about 72 pounds. But the tree kicks into high gear over the next 20 years, taking up at least 30 pounds a year or another 600 pounds. Ten trees will store 3 tons of CO2. If you sponsor 70 trees each year, your share (20 tons) will be absorbed over the life of those trees. BONUS: some of the seeds produced by "your" trees will grow to maturity, adding to your 'global cooling'. When you contribute to Planting Peace you help employ experienced social workers who teach forest-keeping skills and marketing techniques to farmers so that the local people harvest the trees sustainably. You protect the planet, Haitians provide for their families. Just $14 a year Would you plant 70 trees a year (20 cents each) for the next 50 years for peace of mind? A one-time payment of $700 will ensure that your lifetime share of carbon emissions will be put on a hillside in Haiti, increasing the watershed, slowing erosion, catching the mist and providing shade... oh, and storing carbon as fast as you make it. You want to cool the planet -- so plant trees in Haiti. You have guilt/They need trees. Frequently Asked Questions 1. How can I be sure that the trees will survive for 40 years? A. The secret is to provide a stream of income to the farmers who plant the trees. 2. I've heard that most new trees in Haiti turn into charcoal. How is your program different? A. Short of providing each tree with an armed guard, there is no way to guarantee that every tree will reach full height and size. However, by planting extra seedlings, the project organizers can ensure that enough trees will survive into adulthood to more than offset the required amount of carbon emissions. 3. Can the trees provide income to families? A. Yes. Fruit trees provide fruit after two or three years; lumber and charcoal, when taken responsibly, can provide families with cash. 4. What species do you use? A. We use Leucaena for providing feed for animals as well as fast shade and rapid carbon storage. Fruit trees bring income and food. Other species provide lumber (eventually) which can also be a form of carbon storage, when the trees are harvested sustainably. Steve McCrea Tree Advocate http://www.plantingpeace.org/carbon.php RETURN TO BOOK AND VIDEO PROJECTS | Return to Book Projects Article (published in the San Diego Earth Times) August 1996 http://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0896/et0896s13.html SDEarthTimes.com Air travel: eco-tourism's hidden pollution When you fly the friendly skies, you can make sure you're being friendly to the environment, too. by Steve McCrea, Editor, Eco-Tourist Journal Eco-tourists take pride in knowing that they live lightly when they visit a rainforest. The eco-tour experience protects forests by discouraging deforestation and development, since local residents gain tourist dollars because they work with nature rather than destroying it. However, one ton of an invisible pollutant enters the atmosphere for every 4,000 miles that the typical eco-tourist flies. A round trip from New York to San Jose, Costa Rica (the world's leading eco-tourist destination) is 4,200 miles, so the typical eco-tourist generates roughly 2,100 pounds of carbon dioxide by traveling to a week of sleeping in the rainforest. Carbon dioxide is responsible for approximately half of the "greenhouse effect." These "greenhouse gases" act as an invisible blanket around the planet, holding in heat. When the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere fell below 260 parts per million (ppm), the climate became cooler and glaciers grew larger. (During the most recent Ice Age, the carbon dioxide level was below 240 ppm). When the carbon content rises above 300 ppm, the polar ice melts and the sea level rises. Eco-tourists who want to achieve true "global cooling" travel need to plant three trees for every 4,000 miles of air travel. According to the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), fuel burned by airplanes puts nitrogen oxide and water vapor at 30,000 feet. These two additional greenhouse gases together give as much as twice the global warming effect as the carbon dioxide released by the airplane. One tree offsets the carbon dioxide emitted by the airplane over 4,000 miles, and two more trees offset the greenhouse effect caused by the nitrogen oxide and water vapor. Unfortunately, the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere exceeded 360 ppm in 1992 and could reach 520 ppm within a century. A rising sea level would reduce fresh water supplies and hasten erosion of beaches along coastal property. Eco-tourists who wish to absorb the carbon dioxide that their travel generates can sponsor the planting of trees. Trees planted in tropical countries can absorb carbon quickly, without the interruption of winter. For a free list of tree planting programs, call 1-800-643-0001. For more information on the Global Cooling Campaign, request a copy of the Global Cooling Answer Book, available for $10 (postpaid, check payable to Trees for the Future), Global Cooling, Box 1786, Silver Spring MD 20915 or sponsor trees at Plant-Trees.org. TFTF also promotes tropical tree-planting programs. To support local tree planting efforts contact San Diego People for Trees, (619) 457-2665. Founder of the Global Cooling Campaign, Steve McCrea creates environmental marketing plans. He advocates planting trees to offset carbon dioxide that is emitted when electricity and gasoline is used. He edits an electronic newsletter called Eco-Tourist Journal. For more information, call (954) 646-8246 (OH-MUCHO). For a free email subscription to Eco-Tourist Journal, send an e-mail message to: TheEbookman@gmail.com. |