Leasly Goes Green: Our New Carbon Offsetting Initiative
And how you can help save the planet
Oh man, where do I even begin? The environment is, like, super important, you guys. Sorry, I just watched “Mean Girls” and they use the word “like” a lot and I wanted to fit in. Anyway, yeah, the environment is important.
And we here at Leasly aren’t just talking the talk when it comes to being environmentally friendly — we’re walking the walk too.
How are we doing this, you ask? Well, recently we’ve set ourselves on the path to environmental-friendly causes with our new initiative: carbon offsetting!
Here’s what that means and how you can get involved.
Carbon Off-Setting is Like …
You know how when you fly somewhere, the airline asks if you want to buy a carbon offset? And you’re like, wait, what the heck is that? And then they’re like, it’s only $20 and it helps the environment! And you’re like, sold!
Yeah, that’s what we’re doing. Except instead of asking people to buy offsets, we’re actually doing the offsetting ourselves. We’ve partnered with an amazing organization called TerraPass, who are the leaders in the carbon offset industry. They help us calculate our carbon footprint and then we buy offsets to “balance” it out.
In fact, when you Google “airline carbon offsetting purchase” TerraPass is the first organization that pops up because they’re just that good.
So how does it work?
Carbon credits, also known as carbon offsets or carbon offset credits, are measurable, verifiable emission reductions from certified climate action projects that reduce, remove or avoid greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
What these credits represent is the right to emit one metric ton of carbon dioxide.
It’s like a currency, but instead of being used to buy things, it’s used to “offset” or neutralize your carbon footprint.
In other words, if you fly somewhere and your flight emits, say, 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide, you can purchase carbon credits to “offset” that amount of emissions.
The carbon credits you purchase are then used to fund projects that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as planting trees, investing in renewable energy, or even just helping people become more energy-efficient.
Why Carbon Offsets Matter
A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.
― Franklin D. Roosevelt
Carbon offsets are important because they help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main cause of climate change.
Essentially, a company, like yours truly at Leasly, is purchasing carbon credits to fund projects that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, therefore offsetting our company’s emissions.
Today many companies like ours are setting net-zero targets, meaning they are offsetting 100% of the carbon they are emitting.
But we like to think of ourselves as overachievers, so we’re offsetting 101% of our emissions. Why? Because we can and it feels good.
The Start of Something Beautiful
Truly we wish we could do more to help the environment but, as I said, we’re just getting started. This is only the beginning of our long journey to becoming a more sustainable and eco-friendly company.
If you’re an environmentalist or just someone who cares about the planet, we hope you’ll join us on this journey! Moreover, if you work for a company that’s looking to set up a carbon offsetting program, we would be more than happy to chat and provide advice (for free!).
Anyway, that’s all we got.
Thought we’d start this Fourth of July weekend with a bang and let you all know what we’re up to. As always, thanks for reading and Happy Fourth of July!
P.S. If you want to learn more about carbon offsetting, we suggest reading another article from our awesome blog team. It’s a quick and easy read that does a great job of explaining everything we just talked about.
