Carbon management is becoming important to individuals, households, communities, governments, and organizations due to challenges addressed by the Paris Agreement-COP26 (2021) on climate change and Environment Management System (ISO). By 2050, humans must reduce carbon footprints to net zero and temp rise to below 1.5 Deg Celsius. There are opportunities for every individual in this challenge to find ways to reduce their Carbon footprints by off-setting, or improving energy efficiency, consuming energy from renewable sources, running campaigns to raise awareness, investing in environmental projects, paying green taxes, and buying tons of co2 from the international emissions market.

Being a global citizen from the Maritime Industry the environmental challenge motivated me to reduce global warming and neutralize my own carbon footprints. I responsibly decided to reduce my own CO2 emissions from my day-to-day activities like travel, eating, lifestyle, usage of energy resources, and participation in afforestation activities.

A few stalwart organizations like Reliance have decided to become net zero by 2035, Mahindra & Mahindra by 2040, Infosys by 2040, and Microsoft by 2030. Net Zero initiatives of these organizations motivated me to benchmark my green journey target to net zero before 2030. My commitment to Net Zero lead to a plantation journey too. For achieving Net Zero, “I would have to balance out the CO₂ released into the atmosphere from my activities, since I was born (1973) by an equivalent amount being removed from the atmosphere.  I opted for sustainable, cost effective, natural Carbon Sequestration Process – Tree Plantation project (Arboriculture)”. This project was launched in the year June 2006, and since then I am maintaining 4,400 trees on 1.5 Hectare of my farmland in India.

Further after achieving Net zero, I upgraded my goal of becoming Carbon Negative by 2022 itself. I have managed to achieve this goal as planned, which is way ahead of the earlier 2030 expectations. The below table illustrates my plantation journey for Net Zero to becoming Carbon Negative. The calculations demonstrate that carbon/co2 sequestered from atmosphere is more than what I have generated since being born in July 1973 to August 2022.

Furthermore, to remain in Carbon Negative state, I opted for additional controls like going paperless at the workplace, usage of public transport to commute to office, and engaging in go green plantation drives around my habitat.

It is vividly apparent from the above table that one can achieve carbon negative state by offsetting carbon footprint through afforestation, a natural process for CO2 sequestration.

There are also various other benefits of afforestation & reforestation, like growing fruits, wood, soil conservation, temp control, increased rainfall, shelter for living organisms, oxygen, and food for life.

The purpose of writing this article was to create awareness and motivate individuals to actively participate in tree plantation drives. We can reduce carbon footprint simply through tree plantation activities. With pleasure, pride, and humility, I shared my plantation journey experience of achieving net zero to carbon negative state for our environment and ecosystem. So, as you breathe, take out a few moments to express gratitude to the lovely Trees around you for everything!

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