Since 2017, TechTime has been a proud contributor to Pledge 1% - a global movement of individuals and companies committed to pledging 1% of their equity, time, product or profit to their communities. It is built on the belief that any contribution, no matter how small, has the ability to make a huge impact in the future.
In the year ending March 2018, we donated 1% of our profits to the St Baldrick's Foundation to help fund childhood cancer research. From 2019, we pledged to donate 1% of our profits to the charity, Trees That Count because of the rising concerns to the environment. Trees That Count was recognised to have significant relevance to us as a tech company. Everyone in the team wanted to support a cause that we believed should be a top priority in this current environmental situation. Unlike our plans, there's no 'Planet B'.
In 2019 alone, the world was projected to release 40.57 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air. According to the United Nations, we have until 2030 to reduce CO2 emissions by 45% from 2010-levels (which is a mere 10 years away!). This is to stay on track to keep global temperatures from rising more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial times. Drastic effects of climate change are already experienced globally but are becoming more frequent and more extreme, with last year seeing deadly forest fires across California, the Amazon rainforest and New South Wales, Australia.
Our industry plays a major role in the problem. This is from the huge consumption of energy, the production and disposal of hardware and parts, and the dependence on batteries (whose mining and disposal contribute to air, water and soil pollution). While it can be easy to point fingers at the large tech corporations as the largest contributors to climate change, even small companies have the ability to contribute significantly to the issue. From the energy being consumed by a computer left on standby to the abundance of paper invoices mailed out to customers, tackling climate change is a joint effort consisting of several small changes from as many businesses and individuals as possible - echoing what Pledge 1% is all about.
Major tech companies are paving the way for innovation that can combat climate change:
- Microsoft is providing support for artificial intelligence that will create a map of every single tree in every forest in the United States
- Apple built a solar energy farm that provides electricity for all of its stores, offices, headquarters and data centre in California
- Amazon developed recyclable padded mailer packaging
What are we doing to help?
TechTime is determined to offset and minimise our contributions in any way we can. We have been faithful pilot users of ZeroC, a local transport start-up that allows for corporate travel using a 100% electric fleet of vehicles. Pledging 1% to Trees that Count is just another way in which we are showing our commitment to a more environmentally-friendly way of doing business.
Trees That Count is a conservation charity that plants trees all around New Zealand. It was launched in November 2016 by Project Crimson, which focussed its planting efforts on the pōhutukawa and rātā trees. Trees That Count was started to expand efforts to include all native species of trees.
They've built an online marketplace to connect tree funders with tree planters; such as local schools, community groups and businesses. Close to 32 million trees have since been planted - all of which are native to New Zealand and meet the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) criteria of reaching a minimum height of 5 metres by maturity. By planting native trees, the forests that Trees that Count have been maintaining and protecting are more sustainable than fast-growing exotic species, and therefore can become conservation forests and sites for sustainable production. These are the trees that count!
We're proud to be supporting a local charity that provides serious benefits for the wider community and environment. Making a small, eco-friendly change to the way your business operates can have a significant impact. See this article for some ideas on how you can lower your business' environmental impact.
Lastly, a big thank you to our customers who made us enablers of change. It is because of you that we can contribute to society and continue to make a difference. We hope you keep supporting us - you have knowingly or unknowingly donated to this environment.
If you want to pledge your own 1%, find out more at https://pledge1percent.org/.
