What the Hell is Climate Positive Anyway?

So, PILLLAR is the world's first climate positive skateboard company. Great. Good for you. But what does that mean and why does it matter?

Let's start with the basics. Carbon is an element that is essential to life as we know it and found pretty much everywhere on Earth. When mixed with Oxygen (O2) you get Carbon Dioxide (CO2) which is found naturally in the atmosphere.

Carbon Dioxide is extremely important when it comes to keeping our planet livable because when in the atmosphere, it acts like a blanket surrounding the Earth and keeps us warm. Without it things would get extremely cold.

That's where the fun ends.

For the most part, the Earth is very good at regulating itself and the delicate balance of the ability to support life. Up until the last few hundred years, there would be peaks and valleys of the amount of carbon in the atmosphere (as has been detected by ice core samples from the poles), and has been regulated by forests, plants and our oceans, all of which absorb carbon. 

However post-Industrial Revolution through the present time, human activities such as; burning of fossil fuels, factory farming, deforestation, production and use of plastics, as well as many other modern-day inventions have dramatically increased the amount carbon particles in the atmosphere to alarming new levels. The natural means of carbon reduction are no longer enough to keep that balance.

That nice light blanket covering the Earth keeping us warm is quickly turning into a heavy quilt...and we're starting to sweat.

With the Earth getting warmer and the global climate changing, we’ll continue to see more frequent extreme weather events, droughts, fires, hurricanes, and rising sea levels. All of which has the ability to impact the entire human population no matter where you live or how you live.

Let's cut to the chase.

Each and every one of us has a carbon footprint which is calculated by our activities such as the miles we drive, the waste we produce and the food we eat. Obviously an oil company's footprint is much larger than that of the average person, but we're all in this together and we're going to have to solve this together.

That's why PILLLAR is committed to being Climate Positive, which means that we'll be offsetting our carbon footprint by investing in certifiable carbon reducing organizations and activities that remove carbon from the atmosphere.

But to be Climate Positive, you must remove 110% of your carbon emissions. That's why every month we'll track our footprint using an accredited 3rd party carbon tracking organization and then offset those emissions to the tune of 110%.

But let's not kid ourselves, we do understand that one skateboard company with a relatively small carbon footprint on its own is not going to change the world, but our goal in doing so will be to inspire others do make changes in their lives that positively effect the environment as well. And together we can build momentum to reduce carbon emissions around the world.

There you have it. PILLLAR is the world's first climate positive skateboard company. A title we take seriously and we hope you do as well.