Earthly x Blue Earth Summit – Where Are We Now?
Investing in Nature-Based Projects
From Agroforestry in Kenya to seaweed farming in the UK, Blue Earth Summit partners, Earthly, support and fund a wide range of hand-picked, high-quality projects across the world to cater to every nature-based goal.
With the Blue Earth Summit being a climate conscious organisation, although we took every measure to reduce our carbon impact, we cannot shy away from the fact that there were unavoidable environmental impacts associated with delivering the event. In an effort to counter-balance these impacts, the Blue Earth Summit is continuing to work with Earthly by investing into a mix of nature-based projects that remove carbon, restore diversity and improve livelihoods.
Tree Planting
Through the Earthly marketplace, we supported a bundle of projects to make a positive impact as well as counterbalancing the calculated footprint. In the time that has elapsed since the event took place, 495 trees have been planted, 496.59 tonnes of carbon removed, and a 379,614 square metre area of forest supported.
Seaweed Farming
In support of the Blue Earth Summit’s roots and ocean heritage, investing in seaweed agriculture in Devon and Cornwall was a perfect fit. Seaweed has been proven to close off six times the amount of carbon to that of land, plants and trees, growing quickly and requiring no fertilisers, land, feed or waste management.
Rainforest Protection
However, Earthly’s work extends beyond the UK’s shorelines, with investment into rainforest protection in the Congo, too. Protecting forests and wetlands not only benefits the environment but also supports the local community, bringing about long-lasting and effective results.
Mangrove Forests
In addition, we’re working on mangrove tree planting in Madagascar, where restoration efforts are critical, with over 90% of native forest cover already lost. Mangrove forests also provide a variety of environmental benefits including storm surge protection and habitats for rare species – and carry their weight when it comes to carbon sequestration, too.
Agroforestry
Lastly, we’re seeing results in agroforestry in Kenya, designed to empower subsistence farmers to protect their lands from the impact of climate change. By building skills and know-how, farmers receive carbon revenue by planting and caring for native trees, which also protect their land from extreme weather events and improve local biodiversity.
There is no doubt that the events industry will always be, quite rightly, challenged and scrutinised for its impact on the environment, carbon footprint and energy consumption. Although every effort was made to reduce this impact as much as possible, and empower planet-friendly work through the content and connections of the event, the focus is also to lead by example and give back to nature, with the Earthly marketplace allowing us to do so and derive tangible environmental results in the process.
