Picture this: it’s January 1, 2020 and you’re ready to take on the world. New Year, New You, right? While 2020 did not turn out to be the year we all anticipated it would be, it is never too late to make a change in our lives for the better. 

There is no time like the beginning of a new year to better ourselves and the world around us. New Year's resolutions don’t have to be revolutionary groundbreaking changes, plus you’re actually likely to stick to them if they’re more feasible. Rome wasn’t built in a day, remember? 

For many Earth-conscious people, their resolutions will be focused on being more sustainable in their lives. Whether this is remembering to bring reusable bags to the store, saying no to straws, changing your home to be more energy efficient, or opting for public transportation over their car, no change is too small. Climate change is the defining issue of our time, it would only make sense to frame some of our resolutions around it. EcoCart is here to help everyone achieve their resolutions by offering accessible and sustainable solutions to a very big problem.

We’re declaring (unofficially - not sure where we get the power to make it official) today “Carbon Neutral for the Day” day. What’s that mean exactly? We are partnering with our friends at EcoCart and they are helping us offset the carbon emissions of each of our online orders all day today. That means if you place an order with us, EcoCart will make sure that the carbon emissions generated from shipping that parcel to you will be offset by donating to verified carbon offsetting programs. Keep reading to learn more about how EcoCart works, and how we can all work together for a brighter and better 2021.

Climate Change and E-commerce

Being human means releasing planet-warming carbon emissions into the atmosphere. It happens when we take a shower, charge our phones, or let out a yawn after a long day. Just like humans release carbon pollution, so do the businesses we all love and support.

Everyday in the U.S. alone, e-commerce packages travel about the same distance as going to the moon and back ...133,000 times. And it’s not just getting your order to your doorstep we have to worry about - the entire supply chain carries a hefty carbon footprint. Scouring the globe for the perfect materials and transforming them into the products you know and love means tons (literally) of planet-warming carbon pollution.

As consumers and business owners, we have an increasing responsibility to commit to being more sustainable. The climate crisis is massive, complicated, and overwhelming. So, it’s often hard to know what we can do about our carbon footprint. Being sustainable is not an all or nothing game, it’s an imperfect process that we each have to choose every day - if it was easy, everyone would be doing it, right?

Whenever a company partners with EcoCart they bring accessible, easy sustainability to their consumers. EcoCart works to offset the carbon footprint of each individual order that someone places with a business.

What does it mean to offset emissions?

It means that for any carbon emissions released into our atmosphere as a result of manufacturing and shipping items at the stores you love, we invest in projects that reduce carbon emissions by the same amount. It’s almost like we’re giving the planet an IOU, then immediately paying it back.

How does it work?

Now, each time someone checks the carbon neutral box when they checkout, EcoCart will automatically purchase verified emissions reductions, more commonly known as “offsets”. These purchases support environmental projects, like wind and solar farms that create clean energy, or protecting trees that would otherwise be cut down so that they can continue to absorb carbon from the air. On top of it, we make sure that these projects are doing some extra good like protecting animals or supporting underserved communities. These projects are carefully vetted, ethically proven, and scientifically verified according to the world’s major carbon standards. Our projects are also third-party verified with site visits by our trusted partners to ensure successful calculation of greenhouse gas reductions and management of funds

What do you mean carbon neutral?

When we say your orders will be “carbon neutral” (“net zero” is another term you’ll hear), that means that we will eliminate, capture, or otherwise mitigate all of the carbon emissions created from shipping your order to your door.

We’ll even give you information about the project your specific donation is supporting, so you know your money is going to the right place.

Just the Beginning

Like many of you, we are committed to slowing the effects of climate change, and we will do this one online order at a time.

Carbon offsets are a starting point—an immediate way to reduce our impact. Even though this is a moment to celebrate, we think that it’d be even better if we didn’t emit any carbon in the first place. That is a lofty goal that many companies are striving to achieve this year.

Our work isn’t done for another important reason. No matter how much progress we continue to make on our own personal footprint, they are actually quite small. The effects of climate change are magnified far beyond our individual selves. We must also work to hold businesses, large corporations, and even entire industries responsible for their carbon footprints.   

The only way we can truly begin to reverse the effects of climate change are if everyone does their part.

What can you do?

If we all do our part by setting goals and resolutions, changing our daily habits, making sustainable swaps, supporting companies that care about their impact on the Earth, and advocate for the future we deserve, we can effect real change in the world. These small individual changes are the first step in a long battle against climate change.