How do we engage carbon markets?

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We sat down with the Forest Carbon Portal to discuss Planting Empowerment's innovative approach to forestry and carbon offsetting. This interview provides details about our tree plantations and the local communities' involvement in forest-carbon projects. The Forest Carbon Portal is an excellent resource for learning about terrestrial carbon capture projects around the world.

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Palm Oil Plantations and REDD

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The European Commission and some EU member states are pushing for palm oil plantations to be classified as "forest" (Full story) Per the current definition of forest from the UN, palm oil plantations would qualify as if they covered "any area larger than 500 square metres with crown cover of 10 per cent and trees [were] capable of growing two metres high." The Indonesian Forestry Ministry is also pushing to classify palm oil plantations as forest. See the full article at the Jakarta Post. The question of what constitutes a forest is a topic for another post, but these headlines have some interesting implications for potential REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) projects.
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Climate Change Messaging

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I enjoyed this clip by John Stewart in retort to the climate change skeptics. That Vancouver is experiencing lower than average snowfall should make people question the rationale behind the DC snowstorm disproving global warming.

Seriously though, pointing out that a climate change denier is being irrational or thoughtless probably won't change his opinion (I've tried). When discussing this subject now, I frame the debate within the rubric of making our economy more efficient, healthy (less coal smog=less asthma), and less reliant on foreign energy. These are all things that can save us money by putting a price on the negative externalities (that are essentially subsidized by the US taxpayer).

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Green Living Project Video

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We're excited to have Green Living Project produce a story about our work in Panama. Their videos document models of sustainability from around the world towards the goal of helping us live more sustainably. GLP promotes their videos through various event marketing channels around the US. They will be in Panama in early March to take footage of our partner communities and plantations.