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November 2006
Center Member The Home Depot has entered into an agreement with the Conservation Fund to offset all carbon emissions created this year by the company's Atlanta headquarters and a portion of emissions created by associates commuting to work and traveling on business. The Home Depot will fund the planting of thousands of trees on nearly 130 acres across metro Atlanta to offset the carbon emissions as part of the Conservation Fund's Go Zero program.
The Home Depot's commitment marks the largest such carbon offset through reforestation in the United States, according to the Conservation Fund. The Fund estimates that The Home Depot annually creates approximately 36,500 tons of carbon dioxide at its 35-acre headquarters complex, 2,300 tons from air travel for business and 12,100 tons from automobiles used by associates commuting to work.
Through its Go Zero program, The Conservation Fund has become a leader in helping companies offset their carbon footprints by using reforestation. During the past five years, the Fund has planted more than 5 million trees that will offset nearly 7 million tons of carbon dioxide over the next 70 years.
Ron Jarvis, The Home Depot's vice president of environmental innovation, said the decision to offset carbon emissions is part of the company's overall philosophy of diminishing the environmental impact of its operations. "The Home Depot's commitment to offsetting carbon emissions through the Go Zero program is a milestone for the company," Jarvis said. "By offsetting our carbon emissions through reforestation, we are doing more than sequestering carbon. We are planting trees that will help reduce the heat island effect in urban areas, reduce erosion and storm water runoff, and help clean the air."
To offset carbon emissions, The Home Depot will fund the planting of trees in the nearby Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and at Panola Mountain Park in Rockdale County and Kennesaw Mountain State Park in Cobb County. Larry Selzer, president of The Conservation Fund, said The Home Depot's commitment will have a major impact on the environment in the Company's hometown.
The Conservation Fund will begin planting trees on behalf of The Home Depot early next year. Members of Team Depot, The Home Depot's volunteer program, will assist in the planting of the trees.
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