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Through the Carbon Neutral program people can pay to have trees planted, to offset their carbon dioxide emissions in the short term, as trees take up or 'fix' carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a powerful greenhouse gas that is contributing to climate change. Planting trees is not a long term solution, as the main way to reduce global warming is to reduce our emissions. However, tree planting to sequester carbon dioxide does help to reduce CO2 in a small way and provide many other environmental benefits.

The new calculator has many choices in vehicle size and options of how to calculate carbon dioxide. Vehicle emissions can be calculated by litres of fuel, which is the most accurate, or by kilometres travelled weekly or annually. There are also options for air travel as calculations for short haul and long haul trips vary due mainly to the extra fuel used in take-off and landing. Also now available is the option to calculate and offset energy consumption i.e. from electricity and gas consumption.

As the frightening realities of climate change are being felt all over the world Men of the Trees are hoping that more people will take responsibility for the emissions they create and that people will reduce their impact on the environment by consuming less.

Angela Tillier, spokesperson for the Carbon Neutral Program said that everyone can help to make a difference and that she hoped people would find ways to reduce their impact on the environment.

To date the Men of the Trees Carbon Neutral Program has contributed over 77,000 native trees and understorey to the West Australian environment, mostly in the wheat belt which also helps to combat salinity.

For the 2006 planting year the program will be planting in excess of 130,000 trees. Many of these trees will go to the Avon Catchment in the Dowerin/Goomalling shire. The 77000 trees to date are equivalent to about 77 hectares of forest. Each hectare of forest in Australia sequesters between 3.5 and 35 tons of CO2 per annum during the first 30 years of life (Australian Greenhouse Office).

After this fast growing period trees continue to sequester CO2 at a slower rate till they reach a point of zero uptake as the tree begins to decay and die. The amount of CO2 sequestered varies according to rainfall, species and other variable factors. The program estimates an uptake of 10 tons per hectare per annum in the rural areas where they are planted in Western Australia.

Over a 30 year period the 77,000 trees should sequester around 23,000 tons of CO2. The trees have been provided through the membership of many organisations including RAC, Department of Environment, UWA, eight local governments and two regional councils. Recent members of the program include Water Corporation and City of Perth. As more organisations join the program more trees will be planted.

More info
Carbon Neutral Program
Calculate your emissions at www.carbonneutral.com.au.