Projects Your Purchase Supports This Month

Here at Natusan, reducing the impact of being a pet parent on the environment is at the forefront of everything we do.

As well as using by-products of sustainable forestry to make our litter, and transforming waste into wonder with our composting partners, we also plant a tree for every single order!

To date, thanks to customers like you, we have already planted over 12,00 trees, and reduced 44.16 tonnes of CO2e* - the equivalent of 109,561 miles by car, or 132 square metres of sea ice saved**! 

Thanks to our customers we are also able to support wonderful Gold Standard carbon reduction projects around the world, here are two of the projects Natusan is supporting this month.

 

Peatland restoration and conservation in Indonesia

Peatland restoration and conservation in Indonesia

A type of wetland consisting of peat soil and wetland habitat, Peatlands are among one of the most important and valuable natural ecosystems on the planet. 

Peatlands store huge levels of carbon, up to 20x the amount that is stored in vegetation and trees. Around 36% of Earth’s tropical peatland is found in Indonesia, but demand for plantation crops such as acacia and palm oil means that these precious areas are being destroyed at an alarming rate - an average of 498,000 hectares each year!

Located in the Central Kalimantan Province of Indonsesian Borneo, the Katingan Restoration and Conservation Project aims to restore and protect almost 150,000 hectares of peatland.

Using satellite monitoring and fire management, the forests are monitored for logging or fire, which allows the staff to take action quickly and intervene before degradation becomes deforestation. 

Dried peat, such as the kind left behind after deforestation, is susceptible to fires, and the 500+ trained community firefighters work alongside drones and satellite monitors to protect and plant tree species that are resistant to fire. 

This not only protects the area from wildfire and illegal logging, but works to restore previously degraded habitats through intensive peatland “rewetting”. 

 

peatland rewetting activities

 

By protecting and restoring these ecosystems, more carbon is stored, and prevented from being released into the atmosphere, but also the rich biodiversity of the area, including 44 vulnerable or critically endangered species, is protected. 

One such species benefiting from this project is the Bornean Orangutan, of which 5-10% of the world’s entire remaining population reside in the area.

But that isn’t all, the project also works to greatly improve the sustainable economic prospects of some 43,000 locals, with initiatives for health education, job training, and supporting local female-led businesses. This serves to support the interconnected elements of environment, wildlife, and local communities. 

 

The Katingan Restoration and Conservation Project

 

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard.

Learn more about Peatland restoration and conservation in Indonesia.

 

 

Converting landfill gas to energy in Northern Turkey

Converting landfill gas to energy in Northern Turkey

In Turkey, more than 90% of waste generated is sent to landfill, where it decomposes and releases dangerous greenhouse gases such as methane into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming

This landfill methane doesn’t need to be released into the atmosphere, but can be captured, tapped and used as an energy source to generate electricity.

This is precisely what the Samsun Landfill Gas to Energy Project aims to achieve. 

This innovative project will collect the landfill gas (using a newly-constructed utilisation system) that is released from decaying waste in a landfill located south-west of Samsun, North Turkey. 

 

Samsun Landfill Gas to Energy Project

 

The site receives over 304,000 tonnes of waste every year, roughly 800 tonnes per day on average. 

The collected gas will be used to generate an estimated 54,600MWh of electricity per year that can then be exported to the national grid.

Aside from preventing harmful greenhouse gas such as methane from being released into the atmosphere, this project also provides energy that would otherwise come from fossil fuels

The estimated level of reduced emissions from the project are around 142,395 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per year. The project will also provide employment opportunities for the local community. 

Learn more about Converting landfill gas to energy in Northern Turkey.

 

So next time you fill up your cat’s litter tray, you can feel paw-sitive that you are helping to create a better, greener world. 

Learn more about our partnership with Ecologi here.

 

 

*The US Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon emissions calculator estimates that 2481 miles (3992.7 km) emits 1 tonne of CO2.

**A 2016 research paper published in November’s issue of Science Magazine, found that the loss of Arctic sea ice had a linear relationship to CO2 emissions. This rate is 3 ± 0.3 square metres per tonne of CO2.

20/05/2021 by NatuTeam

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