We live in an age where, very often, our impact on the environment is invisible. In addition to a monetary price tag, our daily activities – such as shopping or commuting – carry a hidden cost in the form of greenhouse gas emissions which cause climate change and global warming.
It is against this backdrop that sustainability solutions provider South Pole has partnered with UCapture, a green-tech platform that helps inject climate consciousness into online shopping. The two organisations will work together to provide companies and individuals with an easy and reliably way to reduce their environmental impact through obtaining carbon offsets.
How UCapture works: UCapture.com has partnered with thousands of online retailers, including giants like Expedia, Walmart, Target, and Groupon. When a UCapture user makes a purchase, UCapture's partners will contribute a portion of the revenue to fund carbon offset projects that reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, like reforestation.
One of the projects UCapture is supporting through this partnership is the community-driven Kariba REDD+ forestry project in Zimbabwe. Since the project launched in 2011, more than 18 million tonnes of CO2 have been prevented from entering the atmosphere. The project also supports the independence and wellbeing of local communities.
" Together with UCapture, we are addressing the hidden climate impact of our everyday consumption. Thanks to this collaboration, consumers across the world will not only become better connected to the effects of their decisions, but can also rest assured they are supporting a better, cleaner future," says Michael Malara, Corporate Sustainability & Sustainable Finance expert, South Pole.
" Putting the "Cost of Carbon" into consumption has been a global challenge for decades; we believe UCapture addresses this issue in way that can be adopted by anyone. As a start-up, we're thrilled to leverage the environmental expertise and credibility of South Pole for this mission," says Avery Michaelson, UCapture's creator.
Want to help drive down emissions and contribute to forest protection while you shop?
Download the UCapture browser extension, or learn more about our partnership with UCapture and find out how others are getting on board on our Penguin Perspectives corporate blog.
