We all want to meet our colleagues, clients and vendors and discuss the current challenges and issues to work together on a solution and in the end, fix the translation ecosystem. However, maybe even more than in other industries, we’re so widespread over the globe and not all of our business can (or should) be discussed over the phone or in web meetings. So we travel the world and fly from one city to another, sometimes multiple times a week, perhaps not dwelling on the fact that we leave a huge carbon footprint behind.
With all the environmental changes and natural disasters happening more and more often, we can’t not be aware of our own contributions to global warming. This doesn’t mean we should stop doing our work and give up our dream of helping the world communicate better. Instead, we can give something back!
In 2019, TAUS is taking a step in helping us all reduce our carbon footprint and “go green”.
On average, a plane produces a little over 53 pounds of carbon dioxide per mile. That is roughly the same amount of carbon dioxide that one tree absorbs per year. Apart from absorbing these gases, trees help to improve the air quality, preserve biodiversity, control flooding by minimizing runoff & topsoil loss, provide habitat and nutrition for wildlife and create jobs to manage tree nurseries. And by the time a tree reaches the age of 40 it will have sequestered a ton (2000 pounds) of carbon dioxide. Enough for a plane ride around the world.
So, to invest in the future and in our health, TAUS plans to plant one tree per event attendee. It’s not enough to take out all the poisonous gases, but it’s a start!
We will work together with the foundation One Tree Planted which has reforestation campaigns in North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Their tree survival rate is over 95%, so big chances for the trees to turn 40 years old take out that ton of carbon dioxide!
At the end of each quarter, TAUS will count the number of attendees at their events and plant one tree on behalf of each of them. The donations are made directly to One Tree Planted who will work with their partners on getting the trees planted. We will of course keep you in the loop of where your trees are planted and how they are doing.
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