Let's create a better planet for our children

• How many trees will we be planting?

With ZeroSmart's Family Plan, we are committed to planting trees every month to support reforestation efforts globally. Each month, we plant 9 native tree species. Annually, this adds up to 108 trees planted on behalf of your family. This initiative not only helps absorb CO2 but also promotes biodiversity and supports local communities through fair-wage employment in reforestation projects.

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• How do you calculate our carbon footprints?

We calculate your family's carbon footprint using widely accepted standards and the highest available figures provided by the UK government. This comprehensive approach takes into account the emissions typically generated by 2 adults, 2 children, and one pet over a year. It includes factors such as energy usage, transportation, and daily activities that contribute to carbon emissions.

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Carbon footprint measurements can vary significantly, ranging from around 4 tonnes to 8 tonnes of CO2 per adult annually. We use the higher end of these measurements to ensure thoroughness, encompassing all aspects of emissions activity, including indirect impacts like emissions from buying stuff from abroad. This ensures that our calculations accurately reflect your family's total carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions.

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To break down how we arrive at offsetting 25 tonnes of CO2e per year through our Family Plan:

2 adults: 8 tonnes each = 16 tonnes
2 children: 4 tonnes each = 8 tonnes
1 pet: 1 tonne

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By offsetting 25 tonnes of CO2e per year through our Family Plan, we help your family achieve carbon neutrality and make a positive impact on the environment. ​

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• ​How do you offset our carbon footprints?

To make you carbon neutral and offset 100% of your carbon footprints, we use a mixed strategy: we plant trees to create long-term climate impact and we also remove carbon directly and immediately by supporting climate projects. 

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• Where can I find out more about the projects you support?

We only fund the most trustworthy, fully-accredited, climate positive projects. We primarily work with organisations like the Eden Reforestation Projects and Gold Standard to plant trees and remove carbon emissions from our atmosphere. 

 

Unlike some other services, we only work with voluntary emissions removal. This means we do not fund projects that remove emissions that would have been removed anyway, such as when governments have made it compulsory. We do not just fund the cheapest possible projects, we ensure that our projects pay fair wages to all involved at every step of the process.

 

Read more about the projects your subscriptions will support here.

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• What does carbon neutral mean?

Carbon Neutral means that a person does not actively contribute carbon emissions into the atmosphere. 

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You can think of it like a seesaw - on one side you have how much carbon you produce and on the other side is how much carbon you remove from the atmosphere. When the seesaw is perfectly balanced and both sides are equal, that would be ‘carbon neutral’.

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The amount of carbon we produce comes from almost everything we do. The food we eat, the ways we travel, the products we buy. Becoming carbon neutral is usually incredibly difficult. You can partially reduce your emissions by switching to veganism, recycling, or travelling using sustainable method. Signing up for a ZeroSmart plan enables to you further reduce your carbon footprint to zero. 

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• What is carbon offsetting?

Carbon offsetting means that you prevent or remove an equivalent amount (or more!) of greenhouse gas emissions than you create. Carbon offsetting is the quickest and most effective way to reduce your carbon footprint and to become carbon neutral.
 

For example, if you contribute the average UK amount of 8 tonnes of CO2 per year, you would need to plant 6,780 trees each year to remove those 8 tonnes of CO2. That tree planting activity to remove the CO2 would be ‘offsetting’. 

 

Offsetting can take many forms. Popular methods include planting trees, switching to more environmentally friendly energy sources (such as wind farms), gas capture, methane abatement, and improving energy efficiency (such as improving insulation). ZeroSmart supports a variety of different offsetting projects to ensure both short and long-term climate impact.

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• How does planting trees help reduce my carbon footprint?

Trees are natural 'carbon sinks'. This means that trees are great at taking CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it in their trunks, leaves, roots, and the surrounding soil itself. CO2 can be locked up this way for a long time. By planting trees we can take carbon from the atmosphere and store it securely in places where it doesn't contribute towards climate change.

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We also don't entirely rely on tree planting for the reduction of your carbon footprint. In fact, the majority of the 'offsetting' is done by supporting climate projects.

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• How can you prove my impact?

If you have signed up to our email list you will receive regular updates on what impact you have had. You can find out accurate and up-to-date information about each project we support in their corresponding pages. Every photo used on a project page is from the actual project location. 

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If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at contact@zerosmart.co.uk.

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• How much does a ZeroSmart plan cost?

The ZeroSmart Family Plan is priced at £28.20 per month for a standard family consisting of 2 adults, 2 children, and 1 pet. This subscription includes the planting of 9 trees per month and offsets just over 2 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions monthly. Annually, this adds up to 108 trees and 25 tonnes of CO2e.

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In addition to reducing your family's carbon footprint, subscribing to our Family Plan brings numerous environmental and social benefits. Your support helps fund climate projects that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, promote biodiversity through tree planting initiatives, and provide essential social benefits such as fair-wage employment and community development.

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• How can I cancel my subscription plan?

You can cancel your subscription plan any time by emailing contact@zerosmart.co.uk. Please allow up to 2 weeks before your next payment date to ensure that another payment doesn't come out.