Grass Root Carbon Offset
Background
For about a decade, I was an executive of a global top 100 multinational company and in my weekends, I did some tree-planting cum gentlemen farming. The land for this project used to be a raw, erosion-prone marginal grasslands. Right now, as a result of those efforts the land had revived three (3) water springs, now wildlife rich and the foliage created a micro climate that the area became pleasantly cool even in summertime. Also as a result, my family can proudly say we currently have a positive carbon footprints.
Pass forward today in California
I’ve continued my tree planting, albeit on a small-scale-on-the-side-as-time-permits-basis on public forests during the family’s regular camping trips.
I do this during spring to insure greater survival of the seedlings.
My proposal is to extend my tree-planting in your name or in your nominee’s behalf, e.g., your children, wife and love ones.
I’ll do this at cost (of the seedlings) since I won’t be incurring additional overhead. I’ll just buy and carry the additional seedlings with me when I hike and plant these in the bare areas of the public forests.
Cost is $5 per seedlings. This compares favorably with the $10 to $12 a commercial tree planter will ask you.
You’ll get a GPS location, latitude and longitudinal spot on earth, of the seedlings I’ve planted for you.
Medium and Long-term – Carbon Trade
You probably already heard of carbon-trade which was the result of the agreement in Kyoto protocol to solve global warming (http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/04/060404.asp). This initiative was suspended under Bush and now expected to be fully implemented under the administration of President Obama.
My additional proposal is to get additional donors at cost of $5 per seedling. Once we gather enough like-minded donors, we envision we can achieve economy of scale so our group will be able to buy or get on long-term lease on marginal lands to do the tree-planting on large-scale basis. In California, some of these lands can be bought cheap since these are classified as marginal desert lands abutting public forests.
The plan is to reforest these lands while you the donors will own and retain title on the trees that you’ve designated to be planted.
Being owner of these trees, you will have the right to have these trees leased or bought in the carbon-offset trade. The certificate of ownership and the specific verifiable GPS latitude and longitudinal location of your tree is your proof of ownership.
Unfortunately, even today there are only hypothetical values of $1,000 to $10,000 assigned to mature trees although there is recent news that the carbon-trade is on a fast-track. A typical capital lease on a sample $5,000 worth of asset is $1,155 per year.
If you have questions or agree with the plan, e-mail me at TreeCarbonCapture@yahoo.com for your order. I’ll also ask that you share this information to your environmentally aware friends.
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