Achieving Carbon Neutrality
One of the major adverse impacts of AIGA’s activities has been the carbon consequences to the environment from the travel generated by AIGA staff and attendees at AIGA conferences, as well as the energy used by AIGA in its building.
To compensate for this adverse impact, AIGA acquires wind-power offsets for its electric use. The real culprit, however, is the consequence of jet fuel use and combustion engines for cars. To offset these uses, AIGA estimated the average travel to its conferences by air and car, plus the travel incurred by its staff members on business, the travel to its 56 chapters’ events during the year and the personal travel of staff members.
To that end, AIGA is reducing the consequences of its 2008 carbon dioxide emissions by supporting the Brubaker Dairy Farm in Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania, a family farm founded in 1929. The farm’s methane digester will displace electricity on the grid, keeping CO2 pollution out of the air. AIGA will also help support the installation of wind turbines made available to small farmers in the Midwest.
Previously, AIGA funded the planting of 400,000 seedlings in several towns in Nepal. This planting will yield at least 20,000 mature trees, offsetting 6,615,000 pounds of carbon dioxide by converting CO2 for 30 years. The Nepal Reforestation Project plants indigenous tree species, primarily fruit bearing and sacred trees, which ensure the trees have a greater value to the community alive than as firewood. The plantings will provide much needed fruit and income to the community and also provide watershed and habitat protection, shade and cooling. The planting took place in Fall 2006 and employed several people in the planting process and nursery care. This is a ten-year commitment, which translates to approximately 200,000 mature trees. With this investment, which totals less than one half of one percent of the annual budget, AIGA’s activities are certifiably carbon neutral. And one of the perks of working at AIGA is that each staff member’s personal carbon footprint is also zero.
For more information on how you and your studio can cool your carbon consequences, click here.
To compensate for this adverse impact, AIGA acquires wind-power offsets for its electric use. The real culprit, however, is the consequence of jet fuel use and combustion engines for cars. To offset these uses, AIGA estimated the average travel to its conferences by air and car, plus the travel incurred by its staff members on business, the travel to its 56 chapters’ events during the year and the personal travel of staff members.
To that end, AIGA is reducing the consequences of its 2008 carbon dioxide emissions by supporting the Brubaker Dairy Farm in Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania, a family farm founded in 1929. The farm’s methane digester will displace electricity on the grid, keeping CO2 pollution out of the air. AIGA will also help support the installation of wind turbines made available to small farmers in the Midwest.
Previously, AIGA funded the planting of 400,000 seedlings in several towns in Nepal. This planting will yield at least 20,000 mature trees, offsetting 6,615,000 pounds of carbon dioxide by converting CO2 for 30 years. The Nepal Reforestation Project plants indigenous tree species, primarily fruit bearing and sacred trees, which ensure the trees have a greater value to the community alive than as firewood. The plantings will provide much needed fruit and income to the community and also provide watershed and habitat protection, shade and cooling. The planting took place in Fall 2006 and employed several people in the planting process and nursery care. This is a ten-year commitment, which translates to approximately 200,000 mature trees. With this investment, which totals less than one half of one percent of the annual budget, AIGA’s activities are certifiably carbon neutral. And one of the perks of working at AIGA is that each staff member’s personal carbon footprint is also zero.
For more information on how you and your studio can cool your carbon consequences, click here.
