OTTAWA, Nov. 16, 2021 – More than 200 new native trees will be planted in the Rideau Valley watershed this year thanks to the Foundation’s newest carbon neutral partner.
Elephant Print, a local print and graphic design shop co-owned by Ryan Boland and Naheed Hicks, has committed to offsetting its eight tonnes of annual carbon emissions by planting 201 local seedlings through the Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation’s Carbon Neutral program.
Boland said their firm had previously offset its emissions through other providers, but they were drawn to the local impact of the Foundation’s program.
“We wanted our offsets to directly benefit our community here in Ottawa, so it was a good match,” Boland said.
Trees not only capture and store carbon dioxide, they also reduce the impacts of floods and droughts, clean the local air and water and provide critical habitat for wildlife.
“We are thrilled to have Elephant Print on board,” said Foundation executive director Diane Downey. “This is a meaningful step towards a sustainable future for Eastern Ontario and the planet.”
Along with offsetting emissions, Boland said his business is committed to taking as many other meaningful steps as it can: from switching to more energy-efficient LEDs to reusing packaging from suppliers and crafting notebooks out of old stock.
“We feel like everyone should do a little bit to help out,” he said. Elephant Print is a member of the UN’s Climate Neutral Now pledge campaign, and its servers are hosted by GreenGeeks, which replaces its energy usage by three times in wind energy credits.
Boland also addressed that other elephant in the room: the fact that they’re planting new trees to offset emissions from a paper-based business.
“It is kind of an odd combo, but its why we’re committed to it even more,” he said. “A lot of our paper products are made from recycled materials and we use sustainable forestry products as much as possible. Planting these trees takes it a step further.”
To learn more about the Foundation’s carbon neutral program or to become a partner, visit https://www.rvcf.ca/ways-to-give/carbon-neutral-program.
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