Many of our business partners focus on following sustainable business practices, specializing in organic products, minimizing waste in their packaging and supporting Fair Trade practices. These programs are important to their business ethics and compatible with the products they’re delivering.

Exemplifying this approach is the husband-and-wife team that created Arbor Teas, a CarbonFree® Business Partner for six consecutive years.

Arbor Teas offers USDA-certified organic loose leaf teas from around the globe through its on-line store, with one of the web’s largest selections of organic tea, three-quarters of which is Fair Trade Certified.  Arbor Teas maintains a daily mission to find the world's most fantastic organic teas and deliver them to customers as sustainably as possibly.  This includes maintaining their CarbonFree® Business Partnership, neutralizing all operational and shipping emissions by supporting Carbonfund.org’s clean air and carbon reduction projects around the world.   

Because Arbor Teas deals in products that come from all corners of the globe, it was imperative to offset the carbon footprint of all shipments that arrive at or depart from their facility as well as the carbon emissions from their internal operations.

“It makes no sense at all to sell an organic product if the method of delivering it to our customers is environmentally harmful,” emphasizes Jeremy Lopatin, co-founder of Arbor Teas with wife Aubrey.  “Although we do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint, we’re happy to partner with Carbonfund.org to offset what we can’t avoid… yet!”

Arbor Teas became the first tea company to deliver its full line of organic loose teas in 100% backyard compostable packaging, continuing to lead the tea industry through its staunch commitment to sustainable business practices.  Tea drinkers are now able to compost their tea leaves and tea packaging together in their home composting system.  Organic teas delivered CarbonFree® with compostable packaging – that’s commitment to environmental sustainability in action and leadership by example. 

One of the primary components of Carbonfund.org’s mission is to provide climate change education and public outreach through our programs, and through our business partners and supporters.  Two of Carbonfund.org’s business partners recently teamed up in a great example of public outreach, hosting a zero-waste event in their community.

The City of Pleasanton, CA and Hacienda Business Park Owners Association hosted the 3rd annual Pleasanton Green Scene Fair on September 20^th at Hacienda West.   The event featured over 100 exhibitors providing information, demonstrations, raffles and samples of products related to health and nutrition, energy efficiency, commuting alternatives, water conservation, recycling, and locally-sourced foods.  The event also included a special display of alternative fuel vehicles, a mini-farmers market and the “Off The Grid” gourmet food trucks selling natural and sustainable treats.  

Hacienda Business Park Owners Association has been a CarbonFree® Business Partner since 2007, calculating and neutralizing annual operational emissions by supporting Carbonfund.org’s carbon reduction and clean energy technology projects.  And Hacienda’s Owners Association helps to spread the word about Carbonfund.org’s mission and projects, including the Million Tree Challenge, to the many businesses that occupy Hacienda’s properties.  They also recommended that the City of Pleasanton contact Carbonfund.org to evaluate the fair’s carbon emissions and create a program to mitigate emissions associated with the day’s events by supporting Carbonfund.org’s clean air projects. 

The road to succeeding in the fight against climate change and to hasten our transition to a cleaner energy future is to act boldly and work together to engage businesses, communities and networks to join in local and global efforts.  The Pleasanton Green Scene Fair is a great example of partnership among a local business leader in sustainable operations, their environmentally-aware municipality and Carbonfund.org to promote environmental conservation and sustainable business practices in their community.

Part of an effectively designed corporate social responsibility program is to address the interests and concerns of the clients, customers and employees of the company.  The fitness industry has recognized that its customers and employees seek out businesses that share their commitment to social responsibility and environmental sustainability, but not all have addressed these concerns.

Carbonfund.org partner HealthCare International (HCI), a leading supplier and distributor of innovative products for health, wellness, fitness and active aging, took action by implementing a program to assess and neutralize the environmental impact of its annual operations.  Since 2008, HCI has measured and offset all carbon emissions associated with the energy used in its manufacturing, packaging, transportation and operational aspects of their business through their CarbonFree® Partnership program. This commitment places HCI as an environmental leader in the fitness industry and demonstrates proactive steps in the fight against global climate change.

In order to neutralize its annual operational emissions, HCI has made itself carbon neutral by supporting Carbonfund.org’s carbon reduction projects which are helping to build renewable energy sources, develop reforestation projects and invest in energy efficiency technology worldwide. Considering the implications of climate change, maintaining a carbon emissions mitigation program through Carbonfund.org is a natural extension of the work HCI does in improving the health and wellness of its customers and employees.

Glenn Safadago president of HealthCare International comments, “Collectively, the fitness industry has not made an effort to reduce its impact on the environment. Our goal is to be the first company in the fitness industry to be considered a “green” manufacturer.”  We commend HCI for their leadership position in fitness industry sustainability and are proud to partner with them in these ongoing efforts.