Did you know you can make your blog carbon-neutral? It’s free!

This program was recently brought to my attention by La Jolla Mom and I think it’s a great idea. The “My Blog is Carbon Neutral” program was started by the Make it Green Programme in Germany. In the US, they work with the Arbor Day Foundation, a non-profit conservation and education organization. The Arbor Day Foundation’s goal is to reforest 5,500 acres, destroyed by fires, of the Plumas National Forest in Northern California with 792,000 trees.


You can help this initiative by making your blog carbon neutral. A Harvard physicist determined that a blog with 15,000 monthly visitors generates about 8lbs of carbon dioxide emissions per year. This is from sources such as computer usage, servers and cooling systems. It’s difficult to say how much carbon dioxide one tree absorbs due to species, age of tree, latitude, soil conditions and more. However, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) assumes a yearly absorption of one tree at approximately 22lbs (10kg) of carbon dioxide emissions. To be conservative, the Make It Green Programme assumes 11lbs (5kg) for the “Make Your Blog Carbon Neutral” initiative.

This means that ONE TREE neutralizes the carbon dioxide emissions of your blog, assuming you receive about 15,000 visitors or less per month.

Here’s how you get a tree planted in the Plumas National Forest:

1. Write a blog post about the program including the “My Blog is Carbon Neutral” button.

2. Email the link to CO2-neutral@kaufda.de

3. A tree will be planted for you

It's that easy!