Saint Paul, MN — Green Cities Accord is pleased to announce that its urban tree carbon offset project in partnership with the City of St. Paul has achieved third-party verification by City Forest Credits, a leading nonprofit carbon registry and certification organization. As a result, the first set of carbon offsets — totaling 2,976 metric tons of carbon dioxide — has been issued to Green Cities Accord.
In a significant milestone, the first sale of carbon offsets from the project has also been completed. INFRA, the Independent Natural Food Retailers Association, purchased 152 of these offsets to apply towards the carbon emissions generated by its members’ travel to their recent annual conference, held at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. These 152 offsets equate to neutralizing 152 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
“We at INFRA are proud to support Saint Paul’s urban forest through the purchase of carbon offsets to mitigate the environmental impact of our recent conference,” said INFRA Business Programs Manager Rachel Comeaux. “Through Green Cities Accord, we were able to purchase high-quality, third party-verified carbon offsets that will directly benefit the local community while also contributing to the broader fight against climate change.”
The urban tree carbon offset project represents the City of Saint Paul’s inaugural urban tree carbon offset initiative, which includes the planting of 11,288 trees by Saint Paul Parks and Recreation along streets and in parks between 2021 and 2023. These trees are projected to sequester approximately 39,152 metric tons of carbon over the project’s 26-year lifespan, significantly contributing to the city’s climate resilience efforts.
City Forest Credits, which manages carbon and impact standards for urban areas across the United States, has verified and issued the first 10 percent of the project’s estimated 29,755 total carbon offsets. The remaining offsets will be gradually issued as the project progresses, with all proceeds from sales reinvested in additional tree planting and maintenance within the City of Saint Paul.
About
Green Cities Accord is a nonprofit conservancy with a mission to foster climate resilient communities through investments in tree canopy infrastructure.
City Forest Credits is a nonprofit carbon registry and certification organization. It provides reliable and efficient pathways for the private-sector to contribute to green, healthy, and more equitable cities through high-value urban forest projects.
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