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Conservation Stewardship Incentives News & Events About Us Support PFT Publications Site Map Home The Pacific Forest Trust California Main Office |
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News Pacific Forest Trust President Laurie Wayburn testified before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on May 21. The lawmakers were seeking information on climate solutions from the forestry and agriculture sectors as they prepare to debate the Lieberman-Warner climate change legislation. U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit Reporting, convened the hearing to investigate the role carbon emissions reduction projects can play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Other subcommittee members participating included Senators Ken Salazar, (D-Colo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn). “First and foremost we need to discuss an offset policy to find additional solutions that reduce greenhouse gases,” Stabenow said in her opening comments. “There are, however, other benefits to a strong offsets policy – creation of jobs, increasing and incentivizing new technologies, providing additional environmental benefits...I’m hopeful we can construct a set of recommendations here today that encourage as many quality and viable offsets as possible,” added Stabebow. Wayburn made a strong case for the climate benefits of private, working U.S. forests and offered specific strategies for how the pending legislation could be structured. “Forests must play a significant role in mitigating climate change,” Wayburn testified. “They’re an essential tool to help address this enormous challenge. Their inclusion will enable more cost-effective, rapid and durable climate gains, which will also catalyze economic and public benefits from sustainable clean energy alternatives, to ecosystem restoration, to hundreds of thousands of new sustainable jobs. Harnessing the power of our forests in climate policy will help heal our climate.” With Wayburn’s testimony being well received, PFT has been asked to help draft language for the latest version of the Lieberman-Warner climate bill. PFT has partnered with Green Mountain Energy’s BeGreen division to offer verified emissions reductions (VERs) sourced exclusively from the Van Eck Forest for retail sale to the general public. Individuals everywhere can now calculate their household’s carbon footprint and purchase Van Eck VERs online here. “This is a great partnership for PFT,” says Connie Best, managing director of the Pacific Forest Trust. “We’ve been contacted by so many people who have worked hard to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and want to offset what remains with a high-quality project like Van Eck Forest VERs.The Van Eck project’s reputation as a trail-blazing, highly credible source of VERs was a primary attraction for BeGreen." “BeGreen takes pride in offering consumers and businesses this easy option for reducing their carbon footprints by purchasing verified emissions reductions that meet the most stringent standards in the market today,” says Gillan Taddune, chief environmental officer of Green Mountain Energy Company. “The Van Eck Forest Project will not only help protect our planet from harmful carbon emissions, but will also preserve this magnificent forestland for future generations.”
Meridian Transportation Resources (MTR)
Western recently purchased 6,000 metric tons
of CO2 emission reductions from the Van
Eck Forest Project as part of the
company's "It's Good to be Green" initiative. "We're the only charter motorcoach carrier in
North America I know of that mitigates more
than 100 percent of the emissions it creates
by purchasing carbon offsets," says Darren
Berg, Chief Executive Officer of MTR Western. "Our proud support of the Van Eck Forest
Project is compelling evidence of our Visitors can read about the company’s emissions reduction initiatives, the Van Eck Forest Project, the role forests play in controlling global warming and a message from Berg about the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability. “MTR is setting a gold standard for sustainability in the transportation industry that we hope their customers will recognize and support,” says PFT President Laurie Wayburn. “We hope their efforts to heal the climate and improve air quality are applauded and emulated by others.”  Mayor Newsom and San Francisco Offset Olympic Torch Relay Emissions with Forest Carbon The City of San Francisco has become the latest high-profile supporter of the Van Eck Forest Project as the recipient of 500 metric tons of CO2 emission reductions valued at $7,500. Donated by the Pacific Forest Trust and the Fred M. van Eck Forest Foundation, the reductions will be used to offset airplane travel emissions associated with flying the 2008 Olympic Torch to San Francisco for the relay event dubbed "A Sustainable Journey." Mayor Gavin Newsom's staff was referred to PFT by Cantor CO2e, an emissions trading environmental brokerage based in London and San Francisco. "Here in San Francisco, we are on our own journey for a sustainable future," says Newsom. "This is our chance to showcase how local innovation and excellence - in fitness, environmental initiatives and sustainable business practices - can be examples for the world." Van Eck emission reductions are the first to be certified under California’s rigorous Forest Protocols, standards adopted by the state to help meet its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals. The Forest Protocols are the first such governmental standards in the United States. “We’re delighted Mayor Newsom has opted for forest-based CO2 emissions reductions in his continuing effort to position the City of San Francisco as a climate leader,” says PFT President Laurie Wayburn. “We hope this is the first of many opportunities we will have to work with the City to meet the goals of their Sustainable 0City program.” |
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