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Rapanui is an Eco-Fashion company from the Isle of Wight, that makes Organic, Ethical clothing using Renewable Energy with award-winning traceability. Rapanui is about making eco-fashion cool.

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Rapanui Tree Planting

Category: Environment

10 wild cherry trees planted in Peterborough on behalf of Rapanui

In partnership with Community Offset, Rapanui has dropped a few green shoots into a Peteborough primary school to liven up the atmos and do a bit of carbon soaking too.

Community Offset is a relatively new venture that goes around planting trees. When we burn stuff (like fuel in our cars, or coal in our powerstations - or tyres in your garden?) you release carbon dioxide into the air. The carbon, ultimately, comes from the ground, i.e. from plants and animals mostly - old life forms. So whilst it's not technically creating more carbon, we're releasing it from one system (the ground, where it is trapped, 'in stasis') into another system, the atmosphere.

Rapanui carbon offset

Thats a problem. Carbon in the ground might come up again to the atmosphere in time, but we're radically taking it all out of the ground and puffing it up into the air. This is causing some pretty serious issues with the ol' climate.

Fossil fuels are great as they are so energy dense that we can make and do loads of stuff with little effort. Change happens quicker. But the environmental issues associated with their use don't stop at the climate. Poorer air quality, increased industrialisation, decreasing biodiversity and more urbanisation have an impact on the environment, the economy and the community too.

So how about planting some trees? - yes they will soak up some carbon, and store it in their roots 'n leaves. But what if we plant it in a special place? Most carbon-offset tree schemes create massive tree farms out of sight. Why not give back to the community too?

Jon emailed us this morning - "We planted you 10 wild cherry which as well as attaining a weight of over 300kg has a double blossom so will look great for the kids when a bit older. They also attract the birds so will draw some wildlife into the area."

For every kg of carbon in the tree it has taken 1.65kg of co2 out of the atmosphere, so all being well these trees should offset up to 5 tonnes of co2 in there lifetime, a great contribution from everyone at Rapanui!!

Result. Thanks to the crew at Communityoffset.com for making it happen.