Carbonxchange
Carbonxchange is a simple, accountable initiative to improve the social, environmental and economic health of societies in the Asia-Pacific region. Its foundation project in Timor Leste is working with subsistence farming communities through village-based reforestation projects called 'Tree Trusts'.
Environmental sustainability
Carbonxchange will have three main impacts:
- Contribute to climate change adaptation and carbon emissions abatement
- Create a sustainable livelihood based on agroforestry as an integrated approach by combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock to improve soil quality, increase groundwater supplies and boost wildlife numbers
- Bring about long-term social, economic, technological and environmental benefits to subsistence farming communities. Women and children are at the core of these communities and their participation is essential to community sustainability. Providing a future sustainable business opportunity in rural areas is of particular benefit to the next generation.
Carbonxchange provides a unique opportunity to help move Timor Leste from and aid based economy to an enterprise-based economy. The requirement developed economies to reduce carbon emissions allows third world economies like Timor Leste to develop viable enterprises based on carbon offsetting.
Carbonxchange is particularly relevant for Australians because it provides an opportunity for Australian citizens and organisations to contribute to offsetting their carbon footprint through the reforestation of land by the Timor Leste Tree Trusts.
End poverty and hunger
Tree Trusts comprise subsistence farming communities supporting sustainable farming practices to assist communities alleviate poverty and hunger through better adaptation to climate variability, building local economies and growing stronger, more resilient communities.
The establishment of Tree Trusts as social business enterprises comprising subsistence farmers involved in agroforestry can:
- enhance family wellbeing
- increase employment opportunities
- improve living standards
- deliver education and training activities
- improve water and soil conservation
- deliver technological advances including broadband access and solar energy production for lighting and power
- expand of opportunities for the next generation of rural communities.
Carbonxchange Tree Trusts will provide the following specific benefits:
- environmental sustainability (i.e. increase in soil fertility, water sources and wildlife)
- food production (i.e. increase in the variety of food sources for people, and biodiversity and habitat rehabilitation)
- education and skill development (i.e. learning how to look after the land)
- livelihood improvement (i.e. creating employment opportunities)
- social enterprise development and management
- increased technological proficiency (i.e. provision of information and communication systems)
- social enhancement (i.e. people working together for a common goal).
Importantly, significant employment opportunities can be created in the communities though:
- planting and maintaining trees
- tree nursery propagation of seedlings
- independent tree monitoring teams
- transport and delivery
- education and training
- use of and support for the technology used in the carbon trading.
Universal education
School-based partnerships
Carbonxchange supports a regional education plan to encourage school communities from Australia to connect with village-based schools across the Asia Pacific Region to establish collaborative learning and to support each other through educational and awareness programs. It is vital to the Region's development that strong bonds and understanding are nurtured through the next generation.
The focus is on environmental science and agroforestry education through the creation of school-based tree nurseries in Timor Leste and the building of awareness in Australian schools of the impact on our environment globally of emissions from computer technology.
Global Partnerships
Computer Emissions Fund
Computers use large amounts of energy, and through the usage of that energy they cause substantial emissions of greenhouse gases.
It is estimated that in 2011 a quarter of the world population of 7 billion are using computers connected to the internet, generating significant global emissions from personal and business use of computer technology.
Computer use is responsible for nearly 2.7 percent of Australia's total carbon emissions. More significantly, it is directly responsible for more than 7 per cent of all electricity generated in Australia. Further, on average, employees in Australian enterprises are each responsible for 0.75 tonnes a year of carbon emissions.
ICT consumption is expected to expand rapidly during the next decade and the ICT footprint will account for over 4% of total carbon emission by 2020.
"Carbon and Computers in Australia The Energy Consumption and Carbon Footprint of ICT Usage in Australia in 2010". A report for the Australian Computer Society by Connection Research
Computers damage the environment in three ways; manufacturing, usage and disposal.
Manufacturing - Primary materials extraction, primary materials processing, component manufacturing, assembly, packaging, and distribution.
Usage- Purchase of electricity that emits carbon into the atmosphere through generation
Disposal- Most computers at the end of their life cycle are thrown into landfill polluting the soil. Silica, Plastics, Iron, Aluminium, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Nickel, Tin, Mercury, Silver, Cobalt, Gold, Selenium, Manganese, Arsenic and Cadmium are some of the chemical inside computers.
"Life cycle emissions of a computer." UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library. 2009. UNEP/GRID-Arendal. 2 Nov 2011
Carbonxchange encourages citizens and business to take responsibility for the impact of their computer use on the environment and, at the same time, support the continuing growth and viability of this vital reforestation initiative in our neighbouring region.
Individuals and organisations who wish to voluntarily offset their technology use can make an annual donation of $5 per computer they use to the Computer Emissions Fund which will be used by the Tree Trusts to plant trees in reforestation projects in Timor Leste.
Reduce your computer's carbon footprint now by supporting Carbonxchange.
Addressing the United Nations Millenium Development Goals
United Nations Millennium Development Goals
Carbonxchange makes an innovative and significant contribution to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
The UN goals include:
- improving income, especially for those whose income is less than $1 a day
- achieving productive employment for all, including women and youth
- alleviating hunger
- promoting sustainable development in under-developed states
- responding to climate change
- developing open trading and financial systems and access to markets in developed countries
- addressing the needs of small island developing states
- making available the benefits of new communication technologies.
Carbonxchange Goals
The Carbonxchange goals parallel the UN goals by:
- improving the income of subsistence farming communities in Timor Leste whose income is less than $1 per day.
- providing employment opportunities in rural communities for all including for women and youth
- alleviating poverty and hunger
- increasing education opportunities for the children of subsistence farmers through the school based propagation nurseries
- providing access to the educational resources of the world wide web through village technology hubs
- increasing awareness of climate change and promoting sustainable, environmentally appropriate agroforestry development
- developing financial cooperation and international market access through carbon offsetting programs
- meeting an important set of needs for of Timor Leste through moving from an aid to enterprise
- using the new communication technologies to increase awareness of climate change, to facilitate education, to develop carbon offset trading, to link disparate communities and to encourage modern data management.
We call it 'Trees to offset technology'.
We are seeking seed funds of $150,000 to move this exciting enterprise from pilot to practice.
Carbonxchange is a project of Infoxchange Australia