Welcome to CO2 to O2 - What is Carbon Offsetting?

Carbon offset is the process of reducing the net carbon emissions of an individual or organization, either by their own actions, or, more efficiently through arrangements with a carbon offet provider such as CO2 to O2.

Trees help us breathe by taking carbon dioxide out of the air and producing oxygen. Carbon dioxide, produced from burning fossil fuels, is the greenhouse gas most blamed for trapping heat in the atmosphere and linked to global climate change. One acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people to breathe each day and eliminates as much carbon dioxide from the air as is produced from driving a car around 26,000 miles. Tree leaves help trap and remove tiny particles of soot and dust which otherwise damages human lungs. Tree root networks filter contaminants in soils producing clean water. They prevent erosion by trapping soil that would otherwise become silt, which in turn destroys fish eggs and other aquatic wildlife and makes rivers and streams shallower, causing more frequent and more severe flooding. Trees along streams also hold stream banks in place to protect against flooding.

An acre of trees is expected to grow 4,000 pounds of wood per year, consuming 5,800 pounds of carbon dioxide and releasing 4,280 pounds of oxygen. Old, slow growing forests can consume more oxygen than they produce but young, vigorous forests tend to be the most efficient at absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. When a tree dies, it releases its stored carbon back into the air. The death and rotting of one 70-year-old tree would return over 3 tons of carbon to the atmosphere.

How do trees produce oxygen?

The leaf is divided into three parts - blade, vein system and stem. The blade of each leaf is made up of hundreds of tiny cells. The cells contain a green substance called chlorophyll, which is an important part of the food-making machinery. The veins of the leaf are the conduits, bringing in the sap that has been drawn up from the roots. Leaves collect carbon dioxide from the air and the sun provides the power to run the machinery. A product is formed that is much like starch. This food is sent to every part of the tree where it is used in building food, bark and other tissues.

We might imagine leaves having an arrangement with humans and animals. We both use oxygen from the air and return carbon dioxide. The leaves take in the carbon dioxide, keep the carbon to build up the wood, and release oxygen into the air for us all to use.
Acting as an enormous "carbon sink", trees soak up carbon dioxide from the air, producing life-giving oxygen in return. In fact, a medium-sized tree generates the same amount of oxygen as each one of us needs to breathe.

Trees clean the air. An acre can remove about 13 tons of dusts, gases, and pollutants from the atmosphere every year.
Planting 30 trees each year offsets greenhouse gases from your car and home.
Trees provide substances with medicinal values such as the active ingredients used in asthma medications and cough remedies. Aspirin is derived from the bark of a willow tree.
Trees help with flood control. A moderate size tree's roots absorb 400 gallons of water per day.
An acre of trees is expected to grow 4,000 pounds of wood per year, consuming 5,800 pounds of carbon dioxide and releasing 4,280 pounds of oxygen. Old, slow growing forests can consume more oxygen than they produce but young, vigorous forests tend to be the most efficient at absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.
When a tree dies, it releases its stored carbon back into the air. The death and rotting of one 70-year-old tree would return over 3 tons of carbon to the atmosphere.

Oxygen-producing trees and plants are being cut down for the purpose of growing foods, grazing livestock, making paper products, etc. The cutting down of forests puts forest wildlife at risk and decreases the oxygen in the air. It also defaces the natural beauty of the planet. Tropical rain forests are often cleared for farming. The soils in these forests are poor in nutrients, and within a few years the crops fail and the land is abandoned.