The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority has received a symbolic contribution toward tree planting.
Allan Thompson, the federal Liberal candidate in Huron-Bruce in the recent election, made a donation Wednesday to help offset his carbon footprint.
During the election campaign, MVCA. General Manager Phil Beard had suggested to Thompson that he should use the Authority’s Footprints To Forests calculator to figure out the number of trees to plant to compensate for the fossil fuel he burned while driving around the huge riding.
Thompson estimated he put about 13,000 km on his 2014 Jeep Compass during the 11 week campaign. According to the carbon footprint calculator, which factors in the vehicle type and fuel consumption, he needed to pay for the planting of ten trees.
Thompson paid for the trees Wednesday, which will be planted at one of the MVCA properties.
On its FootprintsToForests.com website, the conservation authority explains that your carbon footprint is the greenhouse gas emissions released by typical aspects of your lifestyle, such as vehicle fuel use.
The calculator compensates for the CO2 emission over the growing period of the tree throughout its lifetime.
Trees help to reduce the impacts of climate change and also provide other benefits such as biodiversity and improved water quality.
"Climate change and how we deal with it will be the defining issue of our generation and the next," according to Phil Beard.