Climate First Foundation

Our goal is to address the long term costs of consumption; that is, the impacts of climate change, loss of biodiversity, extinction, pollution and social inequality, that are not considered in the shelf price of the products we buy. 

Our GoZero range of initiatives provide solutions that see businesses, their customers and the planet simultaneously benefiting from innovations that promote environmental awareness, encourage involvement and actively reduce pollution & wasteful consumption.

We enable businesses and individuals to GoZero -  to move towards lowering their impact on the environment.  We calculate the environmental footprint of individual transactions and provide a mechanism to pay back the environment in an immediate and ethical way. The projects we support have specific, quantified & accredited rainforest protection and emission reduction outcomes.

GoZero initiatives are designed to raise awareness about the impacts of consumption on the environment and provide a simple and accessible way for people to engage and participate in the movement to create a sustainable future.
 

 The GoZero Cup Campaign 

Australians use over 1 billion takeaway paper cups every year. The GoZero Cup Campaign supplies retailers with carbon offset, fully renewable and biodegradable cups made from 100% plant-based materials. These cups are made with fewer resources, create less pollution and reduce waste going into landfill.

In addition to providing people with a more eco-friendly product, we use micro-donations in every cup we sell to support specific, quantified, and accredited rainforest protection and emission reduction projects. Every GoZero cup has a quantifiable and measurable benefit to the environment.

Using micro-donations we help compensate the environment for the whole of cycle impacts of the cup, coffee and milk, from production, processing and transport, to brewing and sale. We help business and consumers reduce their environmental impact with a simple, accessible, and cost effective solution.

DAINTREE BUY BACK PROJECT, QUEENSLAND

The Daintree rainforests are of international conservation importance as one of the most significant regional ecosystems in the world. We work together with Rainforest Rescue  so that micro-donations in every Daintree Cup protect another 50cm2 of rainforest.

This project identifies and purchases precious rainforest at risk of development and then establishes Nature Refuge status on the land which protects it forever under covenants ratified by the Queensland Parliament in Australia.

Every 1 million Daintree Cups we sell will save another 5000m2 forever. Learn more about this project here.

MALUA BIOBANK PROJECT, BORNEO

We use micro-donations and work with Piqqo Projects so that every Malua Cup we sell protects and manages another 400cm2 of critical habitat. Every 1 million Malua Cups we sell will save another 10 hectares of rainforest for the next 40 years.

This unique project has come about through an innovative collaboration between the Malaysian Government, private enterprise and local landowners. Endangered species including orang-utans and pygmy elephants call this prime Boreno rainforest home. This project restores and enhances the habitat for many species and creates employment opportunities and social benefits for the local people.

Check out the Malua project here.

BIOGAS ENERGY PROJECT, THAILAND

In addition to rainforest protection, the GoZero Cup Campaign reduces Carbon emissions. The BioGas Cups have a micro-donation equivalent to 1kg of carbon emissions. That means every Biogas Cup removes another 1kg of carbon from the atmosphere; every 1 million BioGas Cups will mean 1000 tonnes less carbon in the atmosphere.

The project creating the carbon credits is in rural Thailand. It's a Starch factory that has, through funding from selling carbon credits, been able to implement technology that converts wastewater into energy. Methane gas captured from wastewater holding ponds is converted into energy and replaces the use of fossil fuels in the factory. The treated water is then recycled for use in the plant and for irrigation. Surrounding waterways and fish habitats are protected from the contaminants that were once flushed directly into the environment.   

The local ecology benefits, the business is more sustainable, and people in the local community gain employment and security, and there is less carbon in the atmosphere. For more information about the Biogas Energy Thailand project, click here.

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POINT-OF-SALE MICRODONATIONS

Our future growth will see the implementation of prototype technology that calculates the carbon emissions of individual transactions. We use a generic formula to estimate the whole of cycle carbon emissions of a product such as bread, milk or petrol. We use Point-of-Sale displays to report this information to consumers, at the time of purchase - then we provide an opportunity to GOZERO and balance the consumption impacts.Because the offset amounts for most everyday transactions are very small we are not a burden to peoples hip pocket. 

Consumers can simply choose to ‘GOZERO’ and know they have contributed to an environmental project, or for those who want to be more involved our web service will allow individuals to create an account  and direct their donations to a project of choice. Through our website people will be able to track where and how their money gets used and receive reports on their cumulative donations. This mechanism can be applied to any retail transaction in any sector, anywhere in the world.

We may charge $2,75 to offset a fuel purchase which on it's own may not appear significant, but cumulatively these 'micro-donations' can have measurable emissions, ecological and social outcomes.