Did you know you can offset your carbon footprint by creating a living wage for people in extreme poverty, as they plant and protect mangrove forests?
The Climate-Positive Carbon Footprint program is the only way to offset your carbon footprint through a holistic 4-in-1 climate action strategy — and you can make it happen through a charitable contribution of just $20/month.
The average US carbon footprint in 2024 is projected to be 13.9 metric tons of CO2. But there’s good news! — When we foster the planting of 600 mangroves, we are removing 14 tons of CO2 over their typical maturation period (based on Quantified Carbon Modelling Reports taken from a north-western Madagascar mangrove restoration site). This puts us into Climate Positivity!Â
“In the 21st century, I think the heroes will be the people who will improve the quality of life, fight poverty and introduce more sustainability.“
Bertrand Piccard
What Lies at the Heart of the “Climate-Positive Carbon Footprint” Plan?
The Climate-Positive Carbon Footprint Plan is centered around a proven Employ-to-Restore initiative, which transforms under-served communities while creating a living wage for people in extreme poverty — all through the planting and nurture of mangrove forests.
Climate-Positive Carbon Footprint: Element 1 – Carbon Sequestration
Why mangroves? Nothing is more critical to the global climate-change mitigation than removing existing carbon from the air as effectively and swiftly as possible. Mangroves store more carbon per unit area than any other ecosystem on Earth. They’re vital entities that capture and stockpile large quantities of “blue” carbon in both the bodies of the plant and the sediment beneath them.
Compare mangrove forests to terrestrial ones: Mangroves store up to 10 times more carbon per hectare (100 acres). Plus, while the latter store carbon in their trunks and branches and release it when the trees die, mangroves store the most carbon in their soil and sediment. If left undisturbed, that carbon can stay put for millennia. Â
This carbon-storing superpower makes mangroves a critical part of the global climate solution. The study results cited above bear repeating: The 600 mangroves at our project site at Antsanitia (Northwestern Madagascar) will remove around 14 metric tons of CO2 during a typical maturation period. That’s compared to the 13.9 average U.S. carbon footprint projected for 2024…..And it’s not the only benefits we create for people and planet — just check out elements 2 and 3 below!
Race Against Time Quick Quiz:
Do you think you would be great at Grappling with Greenhouse Gases? Find out here.
Climate-Positive Carbon Footprint: Element 2 – Climate & Social Justice
Since 1990, the poorest 50% of the world’s population have been responsible for just 7% of total global emissions.  In fact, the entire continent of Africa has accounted for less than 3% of it. In addition, as the climate resilience color gradients on the map above indicate, Africa is now also most likely to endure the worst impacts of climate change.
Mangroves are native to a limited band of global locations, including Madagascar. Here, through our partnership with the Accelerated Restoration Collaborative, just $20 will create one full day of work — and fair income — for a community member to plant 45 mangroves!
This “Employ-to-Restore“ structure has provided fair wage employment opportunities in Madagascar since 2012. — A truly critical difference, since the island has the third highest rate of extreme poverty in the world. In fact, 3 out of every 4 people there live off less than $1.90 a day. The population also endures the world’s first climate-induced famine.
In addition to creating livelihoods and increasing household income, families gain greater power to meet food needs, secure health services, and access water sources, according to recent reports provided by local employees.Â
All of these elements enable our Employ-to-Restore project in Antsanitia, Madagascar to multiply several-fold the environmental and social benefits of every dollar invested: alleviating poverty AND increasing the volume of CO2 removed from the air!
“Everyone is going to need to understand climate change the same way you would assume everyone in business needs to have some fluency in social media today, or that everyone would be able to use a computer 20 years ago.”
Andrew Winston
Climate-Positive Carbon Footprint: Element 3 – Climate Resilience & Adaptation
Because mangroves are so efficient in sequestering carbon, they have become a key tool in tackling global climate change. Equally important, restored mangrove forests also protect exposed coastal communities from harmful environmental impacts like rising seas and flooding.
When it comes to biodiversity (within the Madagascar location), the preservation and replenishment of these native “gems” is especially crucial, since 90% of the region’s forests have been destroyed and a full 90% of plants and wildlife are exclusive to this island.
Mangroves also serve as vital habitats for marine life, notably for crabs, which are the key target species for our fishing village at Antsanitia. Deforestation and the degradation of land have led to a steady decline in crab numbers in recent years. However, with your help, we’re now reversing this trend!
When all of these factors are added together, it’s easy to see that local landscapes and communities supported by the Employ-to-Restore infrastructure at Antsanitia will steadily enhance their climate resilience over time, making them better armed to withstand the effects of increased global warming in the future.
Climate-Positive Carbon Footprint: Element 4 – Climate Mitigation
No climate action plan could be complete without a focus on how to reduce emissions going forward!
Check out the initial chart above for the four areas where we all have the opportunity to make smart changes that can really count — starting with home energy usage, which represents the largest single source of personal emissions. If you then click on the interactive Playbook of the People Power Crash Course above, you’ll get a range of insights on how you can reduce your emissions in 4 key areas: Home, Shopping, Travel & Food.
The final element in the Climate-Positive Carbon Footprint Plan is that all supporters of the Employ-to-Restore project in Antsanitia will also receive a subscription to Purpose on the Planet’s monthly Sustainable Solutions series. This informative content provides you with a practical road-map for creating your own low-carbon lifestyle. It’s a digital collection highlighting 12 practical contexts meant to heighten carbon sensitivity in our daily lives, including the principles of a Circular Economy, the critical importance of water, emissions reduction through home-life choices, the impact of travel or food waste…and much more!
Taken together, the 12 content modules in the Sustainable Solutions offer a personal climate mitigation plan that complements the carbon removal and climate resilience benefits already underway on the ground in Antsanitia!
Race Against Time Quick Quiz:
How much do you know about the 21st Century Revolution in Renewable Energy?  Find out here!
The Climate-Positive Carbon Footprint Plan aligns with a framework recently drawn up by Project Drawdown, a climate action think-tank. Its final assessment highlighted the necessity to work holistically on all aspects of the climate equation—namely 3 connected areas:
1. Support Sinks — uplift nature’s carbon cycle
2. Improve Society — foster equality for all
3. Reduce Sources — bring emissions to zero
The Climate–Positive Plan directly addresses each of these three areas. If you subscribe to the Purpose on the Planet monthly newsletter below, you’ll be able to learn more about the ReWrite Our Story program as a whole. You’ll also gain a deeper understanding on how you can use the program to fully or partially offset your carbon footprint by triggering a holistic 4-in-1 personal climate action plan!.
