A FEW THOUGHTS AROUND OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
WHILE PLANNING THIS TRIP AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT WE WOULD LIKE OUR CHILDREN TO LEARN ON THE WAY, WE ARE QUESTIONNING OURSELVES TO FIND OUT WHAT OUR BIGGEST AREAS OF RESOURCE CONSUMPTION ARE AND LEARN HOW TO TREAD MORE LIGHTLY ON THE EARTH.
USING DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT CALCULATORS, SUCH AS:
– Fondation Goodplanet (www.goodplanet.org)
– Greentripper (www.greentripper.org)
– Reforest’action (www.reforestaction.com)
WE HAVE COMPARED WHAT WOULD BE THE SIZE OF OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT DURING THE TRIP WITH WHAT IT IS TODAY, LIVING A SETTLED LIFE, ON A ONE-YEAR BASIS (SEE DETAILS BELOW).
EVEN IF WE CAN NOT ‘CANCEL’ OUR FOOTPRINT, WE HAVE DECIDED TO OFFSET OUR CARBON EMISSIONS AND CONTRIBUTE TO A COLLECTIVE EFFORT TO DEVELOP CARBON SINKS.
WITH REFOREST’ACTION WE ARE SUPPORTING A REFORESTATION PROJECT IN KENYA THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO VISIT DURING OUR TRIP.
DURING THE TRIP, OUR HOUSEHOLD WILL EMIT 16 TONNES OF CO2
REFORESTATION IN KENYA
WE HAVE CHOSEN TO CONTRIBUTE IN A REFORESTATION PROJET IN THE HEART OF THE MOUNT KENYA PROTECTED FOREST THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO VISIT DURING OUR TRIP!
OBJECTIVES: TO SUPPORT THE RESTORATION OF MOUNT KENYA NATIONAL PARK; TO CREATE AGROFORESTERY SYSTEMS TO ENABLE LOCAL POPULATIONS TO PROTECT THEIR CULTURES AND DIVERSIFY THEIR SOURCES OF INCOME; AND TO RAISE AWARENESS AMONG THE YOUNGER GENERATION IN LOCAL SCHOOLS.
CONTEXT: MORE THAN 300,000 MEMBERS OF VARIOUS ETHNIC COMMUNITIES, SUCH AS THE KIKUYU AND MAASAI, DEPEND ON THE MOUNT KENYA FOREST FOR THEIR DAILY LIVES, DRAWING ON ITS RESOURCES OF FRUIT, MEDICINAL PLANTS AND WATER. THEIR CROPS - BOTH CASH AND FOOD CROPS - NEED RAIN TO GROW IN GOOD CONDITIONS. BUT DROUGHTS HAVE INCREASED IN RECENT YEARS, CAUSED IN PARTICULAR BY DEFORESTATION IN THE REGION, WHICH HAS CHANGED WEATHER PATTERNS. AS A RESULT OF POPULATION GROWTH, THE EXPANSION OF CROPS, AND THE FELLING OF TREES FOR CHARCOAL PRODUCTION, KENYA NOW HAS ONLY 7 PERCENT FOREST COVER, DOWN FROM 18 PERCENT IN THE EARLY 1960S. TODAY, RIVERS FLOWING FROM THE DESTROYED FORESTS OF MOUNT KENYA NO LONGER HAVE ENOUGH WATER TO ENABLE COMMUNITIES TO IRRIGATE THEIR CROPS.
OUR CONTRIBUTION WILL HELP THE NGO TO PLANT 100 TREES.
IF YOU WISH TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT: www.reforestaction.com/mont-kenya-kenya
