Below we have tried to breakdown the science and the maths to show how we are helping to carbon off-set on our farm using the process of carbon sequestration.
The numbers
The Workings
1. 2.96 kg CO2 per litre of heating oil
The factor assumed is 2.96 kg CO2 per litre of oil.
The factor assumed is 2.96573 kg CO2 per litre of oil.
2. 500 litres of heating oil therefore produces 1.48 tonnes of C02e
500 x 2.96 = 1,480
CO2e stands for Carbon Dioxide equivalent
3. 1.48 tonnes requires 2/5 acre with a 0.1% increase in organic soil matter
Every hectare of land that raises its soil organic matter levels by just 0.1% (e.g. 4.2% to 4.3%) will sequester 8.9 tonnes of CO2 per year. This is an extraordinary figure; in practice that is not only possible but being exceeded by farmers and growers building healthy soils.
There is 2.47 acres in a hectare
Therefore
8.9 tonnes divided by 2.47 acres = 3.6 tonnes per acre
So for every customer who chooses to off-set their carbon, we will be planting out our arable fields with cover crops. This will mean that all year round the soil via the plants will be drawing down CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it within the soil structure. Providing us with better soils and therefore better crops, allowing us to capture more carbon the year after.
As the year progresses we will keep you updated via our blog posts to how the soil is doing and how our carbon off setting goals are developing.
The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program is the world’s most widely used voluntary Green House Gases Program. We are proud to be adhering to their methodology in delivering our Carbon Offset Scheme. More information on the methodology can be found here: