As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, convert it to oxygen and store the carbon in their roots, trunks and leaves. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. Trees reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and help mitigate climate change. They also restore habitat for wildlife, enhance public recreation areas and preserve our environment.
DriveGreen's staff plants the trees. We also work with professional tree planters and naturalists to perform the plantings.
Your money funds DriveGreen's efforts to plant trees, market, and monitor the program over time.
DriveGreen’s plantings are in designated natural heritage sites owned by the City of Sarnia and managed and protected by Sarnia Urban Wildlife. Once the plantings are performed, the seedlings are watered and monitored by DriveGreen for a period of one year before they grow to become healthy enough to survive on their own. The survival rate of the plantings is higher than 90%.
Your trees are planted either in the spring or the fall of each year depending on when you purchase the sticker. If the sticker is purchased between November and April, the planting takes place in the spring. If the sticker is purchased between May and October, the planting happens in the fall.
The trees are planted in Sarnia’s designated natural heritage sites. These include Logan's Pond, Art Teasell Wildlife Refuge, Dennis Rupert Prairie Reserve, Bright's Grove Lagoons, Perch Creek Habitat Management Area, Suncor Energy Foundation Nature Way and Huron Shores Flyway. These sites are maintained by the Sarnia Urban Wildlife Committee.
Sequestration rates are based on scientific research conducted by third party expert organizations including Winrock International, TerraCarbon and Fish and Wildlife Service and vary depending on tree species and geographic location. DriveGreen assumes an average sequestration rate of one short ton of carbon dioxide per tree over its lifetime. The lifetime of one tree is assumed to be 100 years.
An average car releases about 11,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. About six trees are required to be planted on a yearly basis to offset one car per year. DriveGreen plants seven trees each year to offset your car's annual emissions. We plant a total of seven, twenty one or thirty five trees depending on whether you purchase a one year, three year or five year sticker.
Of course you can! The pictures we send you will have the address of the planting along with its GPS coordinates. You can use a GPS locator to find the trees planted on your behalf.
We email you pictures of the trees planted on your behalf. These pictures contain information like your name, planting address, tree species and the tree's GPS coordinates. You can use this information to visit the trees. DriveGreen prides itself as an organization making a positive difference to our environment. If the trees didn't get planted, we would not be making a difference and our existence would be pointless.
Native species accustomed to Sarnia’s climate will be planted. Examples include Sassafras, Red Maple, Pin Oak and Sycamore.