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Climate Strike!

On Friday, September 20th, the Ganesh Himal team joined thousands of people around the world and participated in the International Climate Strike. We attended our local event in downtown Spokane WA, to demand action on climate change now.

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Announcing Our Plan to Off-Set Ganesh Himal Trading’s Carbon Footprint

                                Eden Reforestation Project is the organization we work with who plants trees in Nepal. Photo Credit: Eden Reforestation Project.

Planting Trees

Ganesh Himal generates C02 emissions when we airfreight our products from Nepal. In order to decrease our carbon footprint we are making a commitment to plant 500 tree seedlings in Nepal for every shipment we receive. That’s 3000 seedlings per year. Trees are one of the best ways to sequester carbon which helps limit global warming, providing for a cleaner, healthier climate. (see Project Drawdown-afforestation)

Our Partners in Nepal
To plant the seedlings, Ganesh Himal Trading will donate to Eden Reforestation Projects, a California based non-profit that has been working in Nepal to support poverty alleviation and environmental restoration since 2015. Eden Projects has already planted over 3 million trees in 3 distinct regions across Nepal and aims to:

• Alleviate extreme poverty by hiring local villagers, giving them a fair wage, to grow, plant and guard large-scale forest restoration sites,
• Provide a consistent income to poverty stricken communities encouraging economic growth and,
• Restore the environment through reforestation efforts, improving fisheries, agriculture and carbon sequestration.

The Math

We did the math and figured out that each shipment from Nepal weighs approximately 5000 lbs which, when airfreighted creates 13 tons of Co2. In order for us to offset 1 ton of Co2, we need 4 mature trees. So that means 13 x 4 = 52 mature trees per shipment. With 6 shipments a year, we need 312 mature trees total to offset the Co2. Our goal is to to plant 3000 seedlings per year with this reliable project to grow enough trees to maturity to reduce our footprint. The cost to do this is a mere 33 cents per tree or $990 a year and the benefits are huge.

We aren’t Stopping There

Finding Eden Projects in Nepal also means we can begin making up for the Co2 emissions from years past, so Ric and Denise (co-founders of Ganesh Himal Trading) have pledged to donate $330 a year to plant 1000 more seedlings.  That means a total of 4000 seedlings per year planted & cared for in Nepal and fair income for impoverished villagers. We think it’s a win win!

A Few Ways You as a Fair Trade Business Leader Can Take Action for Climate Change

• Show up and strike! Find a local march/protest in your community and join them; if you are a business owner, pay your staff to take time off and participate. This tool kit can help you get the word out and encourage others to do the same.
• Use Social Media to show your support for climate strikes, even if you are unable to attend any events. More ideas here.
• Get politically active and vote! We must elect a government that will take bold action to reduce emissions, prepare for climate change and build a strong, diverse, equitable and clean economy.
• Green your commute: try to drive less and choose public transportation, biking or carpooling.
• Consider a workplace energy audit to identify where you can make the most energy-saving gains.
• Promote products in your store that encourage preserving the environment by offering a discount. Get creative and have fun raising awareness of this important issue.

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