In February 2012 Bishop Greg Rickel of the Diocese of Olympia and Bishop Danilo Bustamante of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Philippines (EDSP), signed a Covenant for Caring of All Creation, in which the two dioceses agreed to establish a carbon offset partnership.
As part of that partnership, the Diocese of Olympia agrees to encourage the funding of carbon offsets which will be used to offset carbon emissions from travel by clergy, staff and others from across the diocese. The Diocese of the Southern Philippines will be using the funds for various reforestation projects to create these offsets at $25 per ton of carbon sequestered.
By April of 2014 over $10,000 for Carbon Offsets had been donated which have funded the tree nursery in Upi in the Diocese of Southern Philippines. Over 7000 trees were transferred from the nursery to help with reforestation there. The nursery not only is helping with carbon sequestration but also is creating jobs and income. Rubber trees, mahogany, coffee, and other tropical varieties are being grown. In the summer of 2014 a delegation from the EDSP visited the Diocese of Olympia traveling to several churches and seeing our work lowering our carbon footprint. In 2017, this relationship between the two dioceses was renewed for another five years.
How to create your carbon offset
Step 1: To participate in this unique carbon offset program and donate to the Carbon Offset Cooperative Mission for tree planting and reforestation in the Southern Philippines, first calculate your carbon footprint using a calculator, such as the one offered by carbonfootprint.com. This calculator will take the details of your flight, travel, or household carbon use and give you an estimate of your carbon footprint in metric tons. Click on the Step 1 box below to go to the calculator.
Step 2: Visit the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia’s Carbon Offset Donation Page to make a secure one-time or recurring donation to the Carbon Offset Cooperative Mission in the Diocese of Southern Philippines and purchase your Carbon Offsets at $25 per ton of CO2. These funds go directly to Diocese’s Southern Philippines account. Click on the Step 2 box below to go to Dio Olympia’s secure donation page.
