Here we look at how I reduced my carbon footprint for August 2022 with the Safe Community Water Supply emissions reduction project, plus more. Find inspiration for how to reduce your emissions by following my monthly carbon offset series, which is part of our series on Living Sustainably.
How I Offset My Emissions
Most of my emissions are tracked and offset using the CoGo Carbon Tracker app:
- Install for free from the App Store or Play Store
- Automatically track my carbon footprint by linking my bank accounts and cards to the app
- Simply click ‘offset’ then select and pay for verified emissions reduction projects to offset my emissions supplied by South Pole
- South Pole emissions reduction projects reduce emissions now, not at some point in the future
- These projects help to protect biodiversity and bring real benefits to local communities
I also use:
- Trainhugger to plant a tree for every train ticket
- freetree.io to plant trees for free for my online purchases
- Ecosia.org to plant trees for free from my web searches
Why Offset My Emissions
The science shows clearly that in order to avert the worst impacts of climate change and preserve a livable planet, global temperature increase needs to be limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Currently, the Earth is already about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s, and emissions continue to rise. To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C – as called for in the Paris Agreement – emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
The current average monthly carbon footprint of a UK citizen is approx. 1,058kgs. However, to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, it’s recommended that each of us has a carbon footprint of only 180kgs a month by 2030. The CoGo Carbon Tracker app has made me realise that I need to do more to reduce my impact, it also enables me to reduce my emissions now.
The point of this carbon offset series is to put me under the spotlight, to push myself to do as much as possible to live a climate positive lifestyle, and to show others that we don’t have to wait to be told what to do, we can reduce our emissions now while we wait for green and renewable technology to become affordable for the majority of people, and while businesses improve their own carbon footprint in the race for net zero by 2050.
My Carbon Footprint for August 2022
In July my carbon footprint was 906kg. Unfortunately, my carbon footprint in August increased to 1,732kg: The same as cutting down 29 trees or driving 4,297 miles in a car. Absolutely miles away from the target of 180kg for a sustainable lifestyle.
My 1,732kg carbon footprint for August is made up of:
- Food and drink = 226kg (down from 311kg in July)
- Around my home = 279kg (up from 2kg in July)
- Stuff I buy = 327kg (up from 27kg in July)
- Getting around = 776kg (up from 220kg in July)
- Unknown = 124kg (down from 346kg)
Taking a look at some of my worst categories:
I can see that the big increase in my carbon footprint for ‘Around the home’ was paying off British Gas, which accounted for virtually all of my ‘Around the home’ carbon footprint. Unfortunately, after the green and renewable providers Bristol Energy and Together Energy went bust, I was forced to move to British Gas on a fossil fuel tariff. I’ve since moved to the highest rated ethical energy supplier and the only UK energy provider with renewable electricity and 100% green gas, they’re GEUK. Here you can read my Review of the UK’s Only Certified Green and Sustainable Energy Supplier.
My carbon footprint from ‘Stuff I buy’ also increased significantly, however, that’s a bit confusing because the CoGo app has tracked the spend on one of my cards, but it’s also tracked the transfer from my bank to pay off that card, which means those transactions have been tracked twice. I’m ok with this as I’m happy to contribute more than just being carbon neutral in my quest to live climate positive, but I am going to contact CoGo about this as it looks like a glitch.
I also had a big increase in my ‘Getting around’ carbon footprint with a drive up to Scotland. I would love to take the train or fly, but I’m not close to the right train stations or airports. I have seen an option to take the Mega Bus, but that’s a 12-hour journey, not including getting to Birmingham, so I’ll have to do some research to see if that could be better.
In a previous part of this series, I mentioned that some of my expenditure in the CoGo app didn’t have a carbon footprint. I contacted CoGo support and they said they’re working on an option for users to be able to manually set the category for each purchase. I’m looking forward to that being available in a future update.
Using the CoGo Carbon Tracker app I was able to easily offset my emissions by purchasing an emissions reduction project through South Pole.
This Month’s Carbon Offsets
1. Using South Pole for Emissions Reduction Projects
This month I chose South Pole’s Safe Community Water Supply emissions reduction project in Rwanda, because it improves health and sanitation with access to clean water. Here’s more information on the project, taken directly from SouthPole.com:
THE STORY: The quality of water in Rwanda is typically not safe to drink; for clean water, families must either boil it over inefficient wood-fuelled fires or travel long distances. The burden to source water, sometimes hours each day, or suffer respiratory illnesses from inhaling smoke from the indoor fires, especially impacts women and children. Boreholes offer an excellent solution, however, communities are often unable to maintain them over the long term.
THE SOLUTION: This project restores and repairs existing boreholes to provide clean drinking water to Rwandan communities, removing the need to boil water for purification. Each borehole is up to 100 metres deep, and can be operated with a simple hand pump.
THE IMPACT: By providing safe water to communities, this project sparks a chain of positive benefits. Children don’t have to spend as much time gathering water or firewood, so they can dedicate time to studying. Families resources are freed up as they don’t have to spend money or time on firewood, instead, they can take part in other income-generating activities, household tasks or taking care of each other. Water-borne and respiratory diseases are reduced thanks to better sanitary conditions and less indoor smoke. By removing the need to boil water the project significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions as well as deforestation pressures on surrounding forests where firewood is sourced.
This project is certified as: Gold Standard Voluntary Emissions Reduction (GSVER)
And it supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals for:
You can find out more about this emission reduction project at SouthPole.com.
2. Using Trainhugger to Plant a Tree for Free for Every Train Ticket
Using Trainhugger to book my train tickets I’ve now planted 3 trees, travelled 731.8 kilometers, and saved 2673.2kgs of CO2, which is the equivalent of saving 0.3 years of home energy use, taking 0.6 petrol cars off the road, or saving 8.0 square meters of arctic ice. All pretty good considering I hardly ever travel by train.
3. Using freetree.io to Plant Trees for Free for My Online Purchases
Using the freetree.io Chrome extension to plant trees for free with my online purchases I’ve planted 5 trees so far, which is part of a total of 22,560 trees already planted by freetree.io users, as of 25th September 2022.
4. Using Ecosia.org to Plant Trees for Free from My Web Searches
Using Ecosia as my search engine on desktop and mobile to plant trees for free I’ve planted 5,004 trees so far, which is part of a total of 158,737,319 trees planted by the Ecosia community, as of 25th September 2022.
Now Let’s Recap About Carbon Offsets
Carbon offsets are not the solution, but they are better than doing nothing while I work to reduce my impact, and while it becomes possible to move 100% to using only green, renewable, and sustainable technology.
Emissions reduction projects can generate two types of offsets:
- “Ex ante” means that the certificates are issued before the actual emissions reduction (e.g., tree planting)
- “Ex post” certificates are only issued after the emissions reduction (e.g. removing the need to boil water over inefficient wood-fuelled fires)
The CoGo app automatically tracks your carbon footprint, and makes it easy and low cost to purchase emissions reduction projects from South Pole. As South Pole focuses on verified climate protection, over 99% of the emission credits from South Pole’s portfolio come from “ex-post” climate protection projects, where the emissions are reduced before you receive the certificates, which you will typically receive within minutes of paying for the project. Read more about South Pole Carbon Offset Projects.
Using the CoGo Carbon Tracker app and purchasing verified emissions reduction projects through South Pole, using Trainhugger to book your train tickets, using the freetree.io Chrome extension to plant trees for free with your online purchases, and using Ecosia as your search engine to plant trees for free, are four very powerful, easy, and low cost ways to quickly reduce your emissions whilst you transition your life to green, renewable, and sustainable.
Here Is What You Can Do
- Install the CoGo Carbon Tracker app for free from the App Store or Play Store
- Book your train tickets through Trainhugger
- Install the freetree.io Chrome extension
- And use Ecosia as your search engine
- Be inspired. We can help climate change if we do something about it
- Talk to your friends and colleagues
- Share this with others
Want to Continue Your Journey?
Where Next?
There is so much inspiring information to give you ideas of how to help climate change by growing, eating, and living sustainably, you can:
- Read Our Articles
- Sign-Up to Our Free Email Newsletter
- Get Started and Vote with Your Money
- Try the Sustainability Roadmap
- Use the Company Directory
- Support Nafford Junction
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Production Notes
This was produced by me, James Walters, as a personal project to help stop climate change by inspiring others to grow, eat, and live sustainably.
Any advice given is the opinion of those involved and does not constitute medical, financial, or legal advice.
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