EKOS’s flagship project is the Rarakau Programme in western Southland. Image: EKOS
Offset your carbon emissions here.
OraTaiao: NZ Climate & Health Council launched its Forests for Health initiative in 2013 as a way for health professionals to offset their carbon emissions from flying, driving, and electricity use.
Background and Information
While OraTaiao’s primary focus is halting the generation of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon-offsetting of unavoidable emissions is another practical step that can contribute to addressing climate health risks.
Our original partner was the Carbon4Good programme run by the SBN (Sustainable Business Network) – a dedicated planting site was developed and planted at Ngā Hau e Whā o Papararangi Marae in Newlands, Wellington. In 2015, when the Carbon4Good programme was disestablished, there were surplus planted trees that could still be purchased while SBN assisted OraTaiao in finding a new provider. The >900 planted trees at Newlands are on Council land and will be protected into the future.
We are delighted to announce that our new partner is EKOS www.ekos.org.nz, a NZ-based charitable trust that supports and administers rainforest conservation projects in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
EKOS’s carbon offsets are offered as internationally-certified Carbon Credits, the gold standard of carbon-offsetting in terms of assurance and perpetuity.
In NZ, EKOS’s flagship project is the Rarakau Programme in western Southland – enabling the landowners of tall indigenous forest to create and sell carbon credits instead of logging timber. Rarakau is 738ha of Māori-owned lowland, coastal indigenous rainforest, protected by a 50-year perpetually renewable covenant.
EKOS offers a broad range of ways to offset carbon from individual flights, to average annual household carbon use, to a comprehensive carbon calculator to evaluate your total personal usage. For complex travel, you can even submit your eticket/itinerary and EKOS will do the calculations for you (via return email).