There is only one goddess Gaia and Al Gore is her only prophet...

[kandrathe]

However, the big question is not how you personally can be carbon neutral, laudable as that may be. The question is how to make whole countries, and the whole world, carbon neutral. For that, we´d have to plant a hell of a lot of forest. If I recall the guesstimates for a Freeman Dyson solution, we´d have to plant something like the area of Ontario just to get us back to square one - assuming we magically solve all the problems of sequestration.

I can't solve everyone's problems, but I can actively engage to do my part. I choose to be "earth friendly", but I can't make anyone else do it. I blame my mother who drilled citizenship into me, the notion that people need to take responsibility for their own actions, and that accountability to those goals should be local(as opposed to State or Federal Laws). Her dad (my grandad) was a small town sheriff for many years.

Afterthought - what type of trees are you planting? Various analyses give different levels of CO2 absorbtion. I think about 1000 trees would break even for the average American, presuming those trees are there permanently (either they don´t die, or always replace themselves 1 to 1.) After-afterthought: 1000 trees a year, every Arbor Day? That's your share alone? You are one seriously efficient tree planter. That's like one tree every 30 seconds for a full working day.

Usually, pines, and using a spade wedge technique. Yes, it's hard work. We plant them for farmers along roadways to provide wind breaks, two rows, 10 feet apart over about a mile per person. Nothing lasts forever though, so at some point somebody will probably cut them down again. Often jerks who steal a Christmas tree. Now that you mention it, its not one day, but the whole weekend. But, other times we also pick up trash, install water aeration systems, harvest millfoil (to compost), and a bunch of other projects.