PICTURE: Cheryl Avalon (www.sxc.hu)

10th January, 2006

DAVID ADAMS

It’s a great way to make yourself feel good in the New Year! Greenfleet are a non-profit organisation created in 1997 to provide an easy way of off-setting your car’s impact on the environment. For $40 they will plant 17 native trees on your behalf which, as they grow, will help to absorb around 4.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year - a sum which is calculated to equate to the amount of greenhouse gases an average car produces every year. Since its foundation, the organisation - which has tree planting projects in all mainland states and the ACT (they were looking for sites in Tasmania) - has planted more than two million trees. The organisation says that not only will planting 17 mixed species trees help to absorb greenhouse emissions but they will also help tackle issues such as salinity and water quality and provide “an essential habitat for native species”. The organisation’s website - www.greenfleet.com.au - includes a “tree totaller” greenhouse calculator which allows you to work out the emissions produced by your car, through household energy or office use or through air travel. Signing up for an annual donation is something simple and practical you can do to help “green” yours or someone else’s life (you can purchase a gift certificate for family or friends).

If a passage from a book or a song or something else altogether has particularly inspired or amazed you, why not share it with others in Wow! Email your contributions to wow@sightmagazine.com.au.

MORE OF WOW! | more... |