When we talk about climate change, we are really talking about an imbalance in our atmosphere. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide trap heat close to the Earth’s surface, creating a chaotic effect that disrupts weather patterns, ecosystems, and communities around the world. The challenge we all share is how to reduce and remove these emissions and live in balance with the planet that sustains us.
Carbon credits were designed as a way to help balance the scales. A carbon credit is a permit that allows a company to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases, typically one ton of carbon dioxide or its equivalent. These credits are often offset through activities such as tree planting, renewable energy projects, or methane capture.
In theory, a company buying a credit is paying to counteract its emissions. In practice, these programs are hard to verify. Many offset projects are far removed from the companies funding them, and audits to ensure that promised trees were actually planted or that carbon is truly being sequestered are inconsistent at best.
At Mountain Rose Herbs, we take a more hands-on and transparent approach. As a purpose-driven company, we prioritize preventing emissions rather than offsetting them. We achieve this by sourcing organic-certified materials and supporting domestic farm research to grow crops in the U.S., reducing the need for imports. While some activities still produce emissions, we balance them by investing in local ecosystems through our long-standing partnership with Friends of Trees, rather than purchasing distant carbon credits.
This collaboration means our efforts and our funds go straight into the soil and into our own communities. We work alongside volunteers, we see the saplings go into the ground, and we know firsthand that the work is real. Every tree planted is part of a living, growing system that will continue to draw carbon out of the atmosphere for decades to come.
In 2024, Friends of Trees planted 39,100 trees, supported in part by Mountain Rose Herbs’ contributions and volunteer efforts. When those trees reach maturity, they will collectively remove approximately 1,876,800 pounds of CO₂ from the atmosphere every year.
To put that into perspective:
We believe that true sustainability happens when action takes root where we live. By working directly with organizations such as Friends of Trees, we do more than offset emissions. We strengthen ecosystems, build community, and deepen our connection to the land.
When it comes to caring for the planet, we would rather grow the solution than buy the illusion.
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Topics: Sustainability
Joseph Schneiderhan is the Sustainability Specialist for Mountain Rose Herbs. He grew up in southern Texas spending much of his childhood on ranches and farms where agriculture and livestock were a cornerstone in his upbringing. At 18 he got his first start in farming by helping to establish a 10-acre hydroponic farm that grew lettuce, basil, and microgreens for local restaurants and grocery stores. He moved to Eugene Oregon in 2007 where he managed a garden store and began to gain an appreciation for organic and sustainable farming practices. He studied agricultural science at OSU with a focus on sustainability and permaculture, and in his off time, you’ll find him in the forest foraging for mushrooms and wild herbs, or in the ocean surfing with his family.
