Counteract Your Carbon

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Contribute to a carbon neutral Maple Ridge! Check out the District's new Counteract Your Carbon Program [PDF, 353KB].

The District of Maple Ridge is developing an Energy and Emissions Plan to identify opportunities to reduce the District's greenhouse gas emissions or carbon footprint.

Here's where you come in. Every time you turn on a light, take a plane trip or cook on a barbeque, you're producing greenhouse gases. You get your carbon footprint by adding together the greenhouse gases produced from all your activities. These days there are a growing number of organizations that sell "carbon offsets" to counteract the greenhouse gases we produce by funding emission reductions elsewhere. If you are thinking of making such a purchase, consider keeping your investment here in Maple Ridge instead, by donating to a local project that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

With a suggested donation of $15 for each tonne of your own carbon, you'll be contributing to cleaner air in your own community. Your donation is tax deductible too! You can use the tax break to reduce your own carbon footprint. For all donations, please download and fill in the Counteract Your Carbon Donation Form [PDF, 56KB], and mail or drop it by the District with your donation.

Featured Project

Fire Hall #1, on the corner of Dewdney Trunk Road and 227 Street is undergoing a major expansion that incorporates many 'green' technologies. The building will be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system. Geothermal technology is just one of the features that will reduce the fire hall's carbon footprint. The result will be lower energy consumption, lower heating costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Stay tuned for additional innovative projects!

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Calculate Your Carbon Footprint

To calculate the annual carbon footprint of your household, visit LiveSmart BC's website.   

To calculate the carbon footprint of a trip, visit Planetair's website and use the buttons for "air travel" or "road travel." Once you've calculated your footprint, you'll be offered a purchase option through Planetair, or you can come back to Maple Ridge's website to donate to projects within Maple Ridge.

To convert emissions from pounds to tonnes, all you do is take the number of pounds (lbs) and divide this number by 2205. Then, multiply your emissions in tonnes by $15.00, or choose a donation amount that is acceptable to you.

Many web sites offer calculators that estimate carbon footprints. It is not necessary to purchase the offsets offered by these sites.

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