In Depth

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In the <a class="cq lu" href="https://medium.com/building-ecologi/putting-down-roots-grounding-our-climate-impact-in-scientific-knowledge-1e46fe766522" rel="noopener">last article</a>, we discussed how we use scientific knowledge to guide our impact decision-making, and also introduced the concept of the Ecologi Climate Committee.
Here at Ecologi, we try to be as transparent as possible, and you can find listings of all our impact purchases on <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dACvzjE5nBE1cKZBAhYzsUa7rIiLJqCWXVgY4bNS8_Q/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our Public Ledger</a>. To find these projects, we work closely with our Climate Committee to guide our impact strategy, and to ensure that all the money we receive via the Ecologi platform goes as far as it possibly can to have the greatest possible climate impact.
The Committee is made up of academics and industry experts across many different sectors, and meets once per month for a formal discussion, chaired by myself. At our monthly Committee meetings and in between, the group discusses the latest developments in climate action, helps to answer challenging questions that arise from our work — or fed back by our community — and sets out the scope and direction of our climate impact.
Let’s meet some of the team…

<h2>Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi</h2>
Co-Founder &amp; Chairman — Applied Sustainability GmbH
Nicoletta draws on thirty-plus years’ experience leading diverse organisations and developing sustainability-driven business and collaboration programs with leading corporates and NGOs. Recently, she founded Applied Sustainability GmbH with the purpose of helping organisations “make sustainability real”.
<h2>Miranda Gorman</h2>
Project Drawdown
Miranda Gorman, Ph.D. is an environmental engineer and Senior Research Fellow for Industry at Project Drawdown whose research focuses on the sustainability of material resources. She has published peer-reviewed research papers and presented at international conferences on the topics of material flow analysis, resource availability forecasting, the circular economy, and non-fuel mineral mining.
<h2>David Markowitz</h2>
Ecologist and Sustainability Expert
David has two degrees in biology and ecology with additional specialisms in forestry and carbon accounting. With experience from the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and working with satellite imagery to analyse protected areas and wildfires, David provides support to the Ecologi team regarding new and existing forestry-related projects.
<h2>Daniel Keir</h2>
CyStellar
Daniel is the Climate Change, Natural Perils and Sustainability Project Manager at CyStellar, a SpaceTech company using remote sensing data to deliver natural hazard and weather insights to various sectors. Day-to-day, he works with climate and weather data to aid companies monitoring natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and wildfires. He previously co-founded the sustainability consultancy, Ecofye.

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<h2>James A. King</h2>
Research Associate, University of Sheffield
James King, Ph.D. is a climate scientist and Research Associate at the University of Sheffield, whose work mainly focuses on climate models; investigating reasons why their performance varies in some parts of the world, developing ways to identify what makes a model more reliable, and using models to understand the ways that humans might be able to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Now, James’ research focuses on the broader impacts on the Earth system of nature-based carbon dioxide removal strategies.
<h2>Amelia Crews</h2>
Climate Advocate &amp; Energy Innovation Co-ordinator
Amelia is Energy Innovation Co-ordinator at Your Co-op Energy, working on many projects focused on community development utilising renewables. She actively engages the voice of youth in pivotal conversations around climate change: in 2021, she was an ambassador for the G7 Youth Summit (‘Y7’) in Cornwall.
<h2>Andrew Ritchie</h2>
Director, ALR Business Solutions Ltd
Within previous roles, Andy managed validation and verification activities relating to EU ETS and the UNFCCC’s Clean Development Mechanism, plus a number of other schemes. More recently, he works in assessing forestry management against certification standards and is working with large organisations developing sustainability frameworks to help effectively manage their environmental and social challenges.

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<h2>Melissa Hobson</h2>
Sustainability communications consultant
Melissa Hobson is a consultant working in the sustainability and for-purpose sector. In communications, Melissa has worked with companies and charities big and small (both in-house and agency side) for over 11 years. She is passionate about marine conservation and has been a certified SCUBA diver for 13 years.
<h2>David Dennison</h2>
Climate &amp; Energy Advisor
David is an experienced climate change advisor with a strong technical background and deep knowledge of the energy sector, including renewables. He is particularly passionate about climate trends and impact on the environment. His goal is to help business, government and the community navigate a successful transition to net zero.
<h2>Rebecca Dobbin</h2>
Ecologist &amp; Environmental Scientist at Victoria University of Wellington
Rebecca has a BSc in Ecology and Biodiversity, and a Master’s degree in Climate Change Science and Climate Policy. Her research is focused on climate science and modelling, mitigation, adaptation, conservation biology and carbon markets. She write reports on opportunities for mitigation and adaptation in New Zealand, and assists Ecologi with climate research.
<h2>Nicolien Van Zwieten</h2>
Geoscientist
Nicolien works as a geologist specialising in ground hazards, having completed degrees in BSc Physical Earth Science, and MSc Structural Geology and Geophysics. Her experience also includes GIS work addressing biodiversity loss and the climate crisis, and researching carbon capture and storage initiatives.
<h2>Stefanie Kaiser</h2>
Communications, forestry and sustainability expert
Stefanie works at the intersection of communication and sustainability. She specialises in sustainable land use and forestry, but spends most of her days thinking about the wider implications of sustainability solutions. In previous work, Stefanie worked in impact investing, and she also previously trained as a biologist.
<h2>Chris Webb</h2>
CEO, GreenGrowth
Chris is an environment and sustainability expert and currently CEO of GreenGrowth investments, helping people have a positive environmental impact with their money. He is well experienced in evaluating and improving business’ sustainability profiles both in the UK and abroad. His work in carbon reduction, circular economy and resource efficiency has received national and international sustainability awards.
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Next time in this series, we’re going to talk about the key external, democratic and market forces that impact our work in finding and funding the most effective climate solutions.

Blog

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On the ground in Kenya with Eden Reforestation Projects

Nothing beats seeing our impact in real life. Since June 2021, we’ve been the sole funding partner of a project restoring a vast area of degraded forest in the hills of Western Kenya. It’s one of the largest projects we’ve supported to date, and in September 2022 we were lucky enough to visit the site, meet our tree planting partners from <a href="https://www.edenprojects.org/">Eden Reforestation Projects</a> face to face, and see all that amazing impact for ourselves.
<h3>A trusted partner </h3>
At Ecologi, we only work with reforestation partners who we trust to plant trees responsibly. So you can be sure that the money you contribute to these amazing projects will genuinely make a real difference in restoring forest ecosystems and supporting livelihoods.
We’ve now got <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/get-to-know-our-reforestation-partners">10 incredible reforestation partners</a>, who operate planting sites across 16 countries. It’s vital to us we partner with like-minded organisations who implement community-led projects that both enhance biodiversity and improve the lives of local people. So our partners go through a rigorous diligence process to check they’re the right fit. Once onboarded, we work closely with our partners to ensure that the projects we implement together are long-lasting and impactful. We cherish our relationships with our reforestation partners &#8211; after all, we couldn’t do this without them!

<h3>Our visit to Kenya </h3>
It’s hard to believe, but our trip to Kenya was the first time we’d visited an international planting site since we were founded in 2019. We wanted to go much sooner, but the complications and restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that this was the first time we could make the trip safely. Still, better late than never, and the delays meant the team were absolutely raring to go when they set off to visit <a href="https://www.edenprojects.org/">Eden Reforestation Projects</a> in Kenya in September 2022. 
We set out to observe the project and see what was happening on the ground, and in doing so, evaluate its progress and success. It’s important to us we monitor and evaluate all the projects we support, to make sure that we’re funding the biggest impact possible in these beautiful ecosystems.

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KENYA BLOG

To put it simply, we were absolutely blown away by what we saw and experienced. The sheer magnitude of area encompassed by the Kass FM project, which is fully funded by Ecologi, along with the warmth and spirit of the planting and nursery staff upon our arrival, was truly unforgettable.
Having spent so long working remotely, moments like these make it all worthwhile. Over the trip, our team on the ground visited the Kass FM planting site, as well as two nurseries where seedlings for the project are grown &#8211; Nkoben and Tendwet.

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Importantly, we got to meet and engage with local staff members, discussing everything from planting techniques and species variety, to how working for Eden has quite literally changed their lives. Connecting in person allowed us to learn more about their monitoring and evaluation processes too, and ultimately strengthened our relationship with an incredible planting partner.   
But don’t just take our word for it, check out the video below to get a glimpse of the impact our community is funding.
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Product

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Where are my trees?

When you fund tree planting through Ecologi, you’re supporting a range of incredible reforestation and ecosystem restoration projects. Ecologi’s method of distributing the donations we receive means the positive impact of our community is being felt all around the world. In this blog we’re going to shed some light on exactly how your money is spread across the projects we support, and why we’ve chosen to do it this way.
First things first, if you fund UK, US, or Australian trees, the projects linked with these trees on your profile are exactly where those trees will be (or, in the case of UK trees, have already been) planted. 
For all the other trees funded by the Ecologi community, we have a slightly different system. Due to the projects we support having varying costs associated with them (depending on geographic location, types of tree planted, price of land etc), we combine trees from all core* projects into one funding pot. When you buy a tree from this pot, you are randomly assigned one of these trees, and this is what appears on your profile.

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Ecologi’s method of distributing trees allows us to fund a range of different types of reforestation and ecosystem restoration projects. The benefits of spreading our funding across all these projects include:
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<li aria-level="1">More affordable prices</li>
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We want everyone to be able to play their part in protecting our planet, regardless of their budget. Ecologi’s system for grouping trees from different projects into one funding pot means we’re able to offer a price per tree that is affordable for everyone. Together, we’re able to fund projects all over the world at a variety of price-points, meaning the positive impact of your money is felt in many more communities than it may otherwise have been. 
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<li aria-level="1">Supporting projects and communities all over the world</li>
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There are so many wonderful reforestation and ecosystem restoration projects out there that bring unique sets of benefits to local people, biodiversity, and our planet. As a member of the Ecologi community, you are part of the solution for getting vital funding to all the projects that need and deserve it most. From mangrove projects in Madagascar providing important habitat for terrestrial and marine species and protecting communities from coastal flooding, to forest restoration projects in the high Andes providing water security for millions of people and helping to support vulnerable species such as Spectacled Bears and Andean Condors, your money goes a long way, in more ways than one!
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<li aria-level="1">Less risk</li>
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Supporting a variety of projects means that trees funded by the Ecologi community are at less risk. While every project we fund goes through our rigorous risk assessment process, and we ensure that every necessary action is taken to protect the trees, when you’re working with nature there is always some risk. By spreading the trees we fund across many sites around the world we are helping to minimise the threat of natural hazards. For example, if we were only funding one project and a fire swept through the site, a large proportion of the trees we had funded would likely be damaged or killed. However, by spreading the trees we’re funding across many sites, we’re ensuring that, should such an event occur, it would only impact a small proportion of the trees funded by the Ecologi community.

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We have tried to make the trees in our community members’ profiles representative of the way in which the trees we’re funding are actually distributed around the world. 
While the process of allocating trees to profiles is randomised, trees from certain projects are more likely to be selected and allocated to your profile than others, simply because there are more of them in the pot. This is why you’ll see trees on your profile associated with one of the projects in Madagascar, Mozambique, and Kenya fairly often, but very occasionally you’ll spot one associated with smaller projects such as those in Peru, Morocco, or Senegal for example.
While the trees from different projects do vary in price, they are all planted and nurtured by wonderful organisations with whom we are proud to work. You can learn more about these organisations in our blog post <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/get-to-know-our-reforestation-partners">here</a>. No matter which trees are randomly assigned to your profile, you can be sure that they are part of fantastic initiatives that have been hand-selected by us for the amazing benefits they are bringing to local people, local wildlife, and our planet. 
So, when it comes to the breakdown of projects at the top of your profile, the numbers show the total number of trees from each project that have been allocated to your profile. When the trees on everyone’s profiles are combined, the number of trees assigned to each project will total the number of trees we, collectively, have actually funded in each project.
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*Our core tree planting projects are where the majority of the trees that we fund are planted, in countries including Madagascar, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Peru, and Morocco. For a full list of our core planting sites and more information about the projects we support, please visit <a href="https://ecologi.com/projects">ecologi.com/projects</a>.

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Our free carbon footprinting tool just got more accurate

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Built by Prof. Mike Berners-Lee

The story of our free carbon footprinting tool for small businesses just took another exciting turn. Ecologi Zero now uses the brand new and industry-leading dataset from Small World Consulting and carbon footprinting expert Prof. Mike Berners-Lee. 
Integrating the most robust and comprehensive carbon footprinting data available into our software means that thousands of UK-based small businesses can more accurately calculate emissions, supporting emissions reduction and their journey to  net-zero.

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Includes all seven greenhouse gases under the GHG Protocol

We’re one of the first to use this amazing new dataset, and it represents a real leap forward for Ecologi Zero. It gives a more accurate picture of supply chain emissions, which can often account for 90% or more of an organisation’s total emissions. It also includes all seven greenhouse gases under the GHG Protocol, where most other datasets only go up to six. 
The dataset harnesses the most up-to-date, consistent and robust economic and environmental data to produce the most realistic and globally comprehensive set of emissions factors. This dataset also accounts for 93% of global GDP and 89% of global emissions, while spanning 65 countries, allowing us to expand from the UK in the future.

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Partnering with Small World Consulting

This is a big update for us, and it’s been a long time in the works. <a href="https://www.sw-consulting.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Small World Consulting</a> has been working with Ecologi since the summer of last year to help refine our free carbon footprinting tool and remove the key barriers for small businesses, such cost, technology and skills. 
Our CEO, Elliot Coad said: “As recent UN reports have made clear, every fraction of a degree counts. Reducing emissions is the single most important action businesses can take. At Ecologi, we want to help businesses make more informed decisions about where and how to decarbonise their operations and supply chains &#8211; starting with more accurate and practical emissions calculations. Our fantastic collaboration with Mike and his team is helping to make carbon footprinting possible for every business, no matter how small. It’s a great privilege to be one of the first to use the Small World emissions dataset.”
Professor Mike Berners-Lee is one of the leading authorities in carbon accounting globally. His published works, including How Bad Are Bananas and There is No Planet B, are renowned for simplifying the complex field of carbon footprinting and guiding people on the actions they can take to collectively tackle climate change.
He said: “We are very happy to be helping Ecologi to enable companies to understand and reduce their emissions. And we are delighted for them to be early adopters of the multi-regional emissions model, which we have worked so hard on to ensure it is as up to date, transparent, robust and realistic as it can possibly be”. 
Our team of in-house carbon accountants will continue working closely with Mike and his team of experts at Small World Consulting on both new and existing features, to make our emissions assessments even more comprehensive in the future. The team will also provide ongoing database support to make sure Ecologi Zero uses the most recent and appropriate emissions data.
We’re currently onboarding businesses to the beta version Ecologi Zero. For more information and to find out if your business is eligible to sign up for free, click <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/zero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Meet the faces behind the Ecologi Climate Committee

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Where are my trees?

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