Earthville Orchards is a carbon offset program (to be launched in 2010) enabling caring global citizens to sponsor tree plantings in India to help reduce your net carbon footprint while providing green jobs for rural villagers.

Plant a tree now, or read on to learn more.

The Need for Carbon Offset

None of us wants to harm the environment, yet with our modern lifestyles we simply can't help but produce more than our share of carbon emissions. All of us who use grid electricity or drive to work (and especially those of us who are frequent fliers) are responsible (directly or indirectly) for more carbon emissions than our rapidly deforesting planet is able to handle.

So how can we live sustainably in the modern world? Part of the solution is to reduce our consumption as much as we reasonably can. For example, we can shrink our carbon footprint by reducing our grid energy consumption at home and at work (such as by using more energy-efficient appliances, turning the lights off when we don't need them, installing solar heating and electrical systems, etc.), and by asking public transportation or carpooling, and so on.

Such reduction measures will eliminate a part of our excess carbon emissions, but what about the rest? That's where the concept of carbon offset comes in, and one of the most sensible carbon offset strategies is to plant trees. Lots of trees.

Why Trees?

Trees sequester (absorb and store) carbon dioxide, so the more trees we plant, the more carbon in the atmosphere is absorbed and stored by the trees. In this way, each of us can offset our carbon emissions by increasing carbon sequestration, resulting in a net decrease in our total carbon footprint.

A few of the main benefits of planting trees:

• An average tree, when mature, can sequester carbon dioxide at an average rate of 48 pounds (22kg) per year.
• An average tree can also return enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support two human beings.
• The relatively low cost of tree planting makes it one of the most cost-effective carbon sequestration methods available.
• Tree planting combats deforestation and erosion.
• Tree planting promotes biodiversity.

Why India?

There are six major benefits to planting trees in India:

• Due to industrial pollution, India has relatively high concentrations of airborne carbon, so trees can make a bigger difference.
• India's temperate climate makes it an ideal candidate for carbon sequestration to have a positive impact on the environment.
• By employing rural villagers to plant and tend to the trees, we'll be creating green jobs for rural women and others in need of income.
• The cost of planting trees in India is far lower than in most other industrialized countries, so we can plant more for the same dollar (bigger bang for the buck).
• Earthville already has projects, partners, and volunteers in India, so we can oversee the project and ensure its success.
• Since many of the trees we're planting are fruit trees, we'll also be contributing organically grown fresh fruit to the local diet.

How It Works

Simply visit our plant a tree page at the Earthville Market and enter the number of trees you'd like to sponsor. The cost is only $2 (USD) per tree. Even better, you'll be helping to employ Indian villagers whose families will benefit from the income. The more trees we plant, the more green jobs we can create while replacing carbon with oxygen.

Click here to sponsor the planting of one or more trees now!

Earthville Orchards is being established in 2010 in partnership with the Dharmalaya Institute for Compassionate Living, a charitable organization based in India.