We have 5 great ideas to help run your company (or department) with a smaller carbon footprint.
1. FLEET
Reduce the carbon footprint of the cars in your fleet.
To reduce the footprint of one car in your fleet for one year, we need to annually plant 15 trees on your behalf. In brief, one small/medium car will emit about 4000kg of carbon a year into the atmosphere. Over its lifetime, the average tree captures 268kg of carbon. Therefore, to capture the carbon your car emits and reduce your footprint, you need to annually plant 15 trees (15 X 268kg = 4020 kg). Data sourced from the Department of Sustainability, RACV and GreenFleet.
2. FLIGHTS
Reduce the carbon footprint of your flights.
Determine how many trees you need to purchase by using the table below. All flights are from Australia and calculated at a one way flight for one person. Simply double the number of trees if you are returning. Travel safely and tread lightly!
| Destination | No. of trees | Cost (incl GST) |
| Within Australia | 3 | $28.95 |
| Asia | 12 | $115.80 |
| Africa | 17 | $164.05 |
| British Isles | 20 | $193.00 |
| Europe | 17 | $164.05 |
| Indonesia | 5 | $48.25 |
| Middle East | 14 | $135.10 |
| New Zealand | 5 | $48.25 |
| North America | 20 | $193.00 |
| South America | 16 | $154.40 |
Want a closer estimate? Simple! Number of hours in the air = number of trees.
3. OFFICE
Reduce the carbon footprint of your employees.
Roughly an employee (EFT) generates 15,000 kg of carbon dioxide per year. If that sounds like a lot, it is. Over its lifetime, a tree can collect and store 268kg. This means, we need to plant 58 trees per year to bring your employees’ carbon production down to zero. A little tricky for most of us to do in our own backyards, and this is where Fifteen Trees comes in. We can plant these 60 (we’ve rounded up) trees for each your employees’ behalf. Best way to do this is through A Subscription for the Planet.
4. EVENTS AND CONFERENCES
Reduce the carbon footprint of your events.
Fifteen Trees can help make you run small carbon footprint events by organising the planting of one tree for each attendee. The trees are planted by community groups (such as schools and Landcare) and are sourced from local independent nurseries. Once planted, you will be able to see photos of the trees and read the comments by the community groups who have planted them. You are then able to use these images on your website to promote your small carbon footprint events. Here is an idea! Pop an option onto your registration website for attendees to tick (and contribute to the cost of the tree).
Want more ideas to help you run a small footprint conference or event? Check out our blog on this very subject.
5. GIFTS FOR CLIENTS
We can plant any number of trees as gifts, on the behalf of your clients. Sustainable gifts for your clients matter for a number of reasons. 1. They align your brand with environmental values. 2. They are supporting local enterprises and communities. 3. They are reducing your environmental impact and 4. sustainable gifts create a culture of conscience consumerism.
Your trees will be creating green corridors, providing native wildlife with habitat, and helping to reverse the effects of erosion and rising water tables (causing salt in the soil to rise to the surface). Trees also provide a vital role in maintaining a stable global climate. Not a bad effort from a small grove of trees!
Plus, when you purchase native trees for us to plant on your behalf you are ticking off 3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Numbers #11 Sustainable Communities #13 Climate Action and #15 Life On Land.
Once planted, we send you the link to view your trees, you are free to use the images and narrative for your own marketing materials. Trees cost $9.65 (including GST). If you purchase 50+ trees, we write up a personal blog about your company and your trees, with backlinks to your company. If you purchase less than 50 trees, we gather trees from a few companies and write a more general blog, but we still highlight your company with logo, link etc.
If you would like to know more about sponsoring community tree planting projects and how we can assist you in becoming a more sustainable business, please contact Colleen at <[email protected]> or phone on 0400 040 659.
Writer: Colleen Filippa
With a background in Environmental Science, Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. In 2009, after 20 years in primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions, Colleen left the classroom to start the company. Fifteen Trees is a social enterprise assisting individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprint by supporting community groups such as Landcare, schools and environmental networks.
