http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/
According to planetgreen,they are a magical species:
“They can be used to sequester carbon. The average tree removes 2,000 pounds of carbon from the atmosphere during its lifetime [almost a metric ton]. Trees curb erosion and can clean over 2,000 gallons of water in a year. Trees can also be used for energy-saving purposes. Shading an air conditioner can save you a little under 5% on your cooling bills. If you planted 20 trees per year, you would offset carbon enough to basically be carbon neutral.”
Here are a few cool links:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/plant-20-trees.html
http://slf-web.state.wy.us/forestry/econ.aspx
http://barnyardsandbackyards.com/
The average American creates 20 metric tons of carbon. The average 2-person family in the United States about 53 metric tons of carbon. I estimated our 2-person family might be more like 60 metric tons as we eat meat, drive long distances, use air conditioning and heating, have some high efficiency appliances like our heat pump but mostly low efficiency ones, we are thermostat conscious but our house is completely electric. We rarely fly anywhere, averaging one trip every 3 to 5 years. We don’t use our fireplace, but we do use a gasoline mower.
We recycle about 60% of our trash and I have started composting too, which increases our recycle rate substantially. We stopped getting paper copies of newspapers. We use a gas grill and we do many things manually ourselves. We are not big consumers, and our hobbies are modest and not consumer-oriented but rather consist of doing things. We use the library for books when we can and read on-line. Our clothes last us for years and years. Our landscaping and gardens are organically maintained. Here's another good link: http://statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=43496
I have been feeling guilty, like a 'less-than' greenie, so I decided to see if our trees would make us carbon neutral. Guess what? An emphatic “yes” is the answer. Of course, I also learned from the Nature Conservancy’s Carbon Calculator that we produce about 36 metric tons living here together, which is lower than a 2 person US family average of 55 pounds. We could probably do better if we tried a little harder.
1 metric ton = 2204.62262 pounds
We have planted about 120+ trees which are good size now, which a 2000 pounds a year would remove 108.862 metric tons of carbon a year if we keep them alive. So we are better than carbon neutral. If we include our woods, then we have about 400 trees, which would mean our combined trees remove 362.87 metric tons of carbon a year from the atmosphere.
Of course, all of us need to do better than carbon neutral if we are going to have a prayer of turning climate change around. So I will be setting some new goals for myself. I've already given up most packaging on food and we only keep bottled water for emergencies now, but there are still ways I can go. Here is a list of simple things for anyone to incorporate:
* Wash full loads of laundry only
* Turn off the water when brushing your teeth or washing dishes by hand
* Buy local and foods in season
* Plan errands that require driving together
* Reduce meat consumption by a day or two or seven a week
* Compost
* Raise your own garden vegetables and herbs
* Cook more often
* Ride your bike when you can
* Carpool or take the bus
Even one little effort is a start. Your descendants' descendants will appreciate it.
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