Frequently Asked Questions

At FairShares we say yes to reducing your carbon footprint. However, in our current economy we can reduce our emissions only up until a certain point. We can use less of the earth’s resources by taking shorter showers and lowering the temperature of the heating in our home. Other ways to reduce our emissions are by buying second-hand clothing and by travelling by train or car instead of by plane. But, reducing your emissions further have very high upfront costs. For instance, switching to an electric vehicle or heating your home with electricity (instead of using gas). These will become cheaper in the future, as more people switch to using these systems. In the meantime, you can use FairShares app to cleanup your emissions.

There are two answers to this question. One, research has shown that spending time outside significantly reduces stress levels. Growing more trees and forests will support not only carbon sequestration in trees and soil but will also make our environment greener and more beautiful. With using FairShares App you will support a more beautiful and sustainable world. Secondly, trees have evolved to capture CO2 (carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere and release O2 (oxygen) in it and they are relatively inexpensive. As of now, mechanical solutions that support similar conversions are not great to look at and expensive to build.

The amount of carbon a single tree can take up in its lifespan is dependant on a lot of different factors including the age of the tree, (mirco) climate, soil quality, and the age at which the tree is cut. It is agreed that on average we can say that a single tree sequesters 10 kg of CO2 per year in the first 25 years of growth.

In the leaves of the tree a process called photosynthesis takes place. Water from soil, CO2 from the air and solar energy are combined to make carbon rich sugars. These sugars are used by plant or tree for growing, as a side product oxygen (O2) is made which is released into the atmosphere. For every sugar (C6H12O6) made 6 CO2 molecules are gathered from the air, the C is used and 6 O2 molecules are released back into the air. So by growing more trees and plants we are effectively reducing the atmosphere’s CO2 content and increasing the O2 content. 

You can calculate your emissions with the mileu centraal calculator (Dutch only).

The average Dutch household emits around 20 metric tons of CO2. Eight metric tons in and around the house and 12,5 metric tons on food, gear and clothing. You can calculate your emissions with the milieu centraal calculator (Dutch only). 

First of all, we would like to refer to a Dutch saying “alle kleine beetjes helpen”, literally translates to all little bits help. We think that every small step you take towards a reduced carbon footprint is worthy. Ideally you would want to end at zero carbon emissions, but that is difficult in our current economy. So we would advise to reduce where you can and cleanup the rest or for the occasional splurge. 

FairShares app makes it super simple to cleanup your emissions. Just download the app from the app or play store and get started. Choose the activity, purchase, or service you want to offset and get going. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please contact us. 

We stock up on Plan Vivo carbon certificates and match these to compensation bought by our users. 

At the moment you can support Taking Root reforestation projects in Nicaragua through the FairShares app. 

With using the FairShares app you support Plan Vivo certified reforestation projects, as these projects are monitored thoroughly. As rising CO2 levels are of global concern, we are of the opinion that trees planted anywhere have a positive effect on CO2 levels. 

In the future we would like to be able to setup our own local reforestation project. 

Our App is the only one on the market to easily cleanup your carbon emissions. 

Glossary

Carbon (C) – chemical element that is found in many organic compounds, including fossil fuels

Carbon dioxide (CO2) – a gas in the earth’s atmosphere. One ton of carbon equals 3.67 tons of carbon dioxide

CO2 emissions – the amount of CO2 that is released by a certain process. For example the combustion of fossil fuels

Carbon footprint – the sum of all emitted CO2 within a certain time frame (usually a month or a year)

Carbon sequestration or CO2 removal – the process of capturing and storing CO2 from the atmosphere

Carbon offset or carbon compensation – a reduction in CO2 emissions or an increase in carbon sequestration to compensate for emissions made elsewhere