Snapping Shoals EMC is proud to offer members the opportunity to participate in a first-of-its-kind carbon offset program. Keeping Forests in Forests (KFIF) is an environmentally friendly program that provides a way for you to offset your carbon footprint by using Georgia’s forests to capture and store carbon.

A carbon footprint is simply a “measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced annually, measured in units of carbon dioxide (CO2).”

A typical Georgia EMC member’s home produces about 25 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year. This carbon footprint is comprised of about 10 tons of CO2 related to electricity usage, 10 tons from driving automobiles, and five tons from burning natural gas.

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon into plants, soils, and water so that the buildup of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere will be reduced or slowed. One of the primary plants used in the sequestration process is a tree. Especially effective are evergreen trees like those found in Georgia’s forests.

Your participation in the carbon offset program provides funding to preserve, protect, and manage Georgia’s valuable carbon-eating pine forests, thereby helping to sequester atmospheric carbon right here at home, while producing valuable environmental benefits, such as clean air and water for all of us to enjoy.

Participating members choose a specific monthly contribution amount, which will be added to their bill. This contribution will go to a forestry partner who will use the money to manage their forest and sequester a related amount of CO2.

To sign up for the Keeping Forests in Forests program or for more details, please see the special insert included with your bill this month or visit www.ssemc-carbonoffset.com.