Becoming Carbon Neutral

UPDATE: As of April 2021, Wild Rye is officially Climate Neutral Certified. We've spent the last three months working with Climate Neutral to measure our 2020 carbon footprint. We've calculated all of the emissions it takes to manufacture and ship our products to your doorstep, and in turn, have offset 537,927 pounds of carbon by investing in climate change solutions. In addition to the carbon we offset through Climate Neutral, we also partner with EcoCart to give customers the option to directly offset the carbon footprint of their individual order. Through EcoCart, we offset an additional 17,894 pounds of carbon in 2020. When combined with our Climate Neutral efforts, that's equivalent to 555,821 pounds of carbon offset, making us Carbon Negative! Learn more about our efforts to protect the places we love in the blog below. 

The Defining Issue of our Time

Being human means releasing planet-warming carbon emissions into the atmosphere. It happens when we take a shower, charge our phones, or let out a yawn after a long day. Just like humans release carbon pollution, so do businesses - and Wild Rye is no exception.

Everyday in the U.S. alone, ecommerce packages travel about the same distance as going to the moon and back ...133,000 times. And it’s not just getting your order to your doorstep we have to worry about - our entire supply chain carries a hefty carbon footprint. Scouring the globe for the perfect materials and transforming them into the Wild Rye's pieces you know and love means tons (literally) of planet-warming carbon pollution even despite our tireless effort weave recycled materials and a sustainable supply chain into every piece.

We’re on a Mission

As Wild Rye continues to grow, we have an increasing responsibility to commit additional resources toward our values in order to maximize the positive impact of our products. At Wild Rye, we have long held the conviction that we can be both a great business and a great corporate citizen. In fact, we believe we cannot be one without the other.

Corporate social responsibility is cemented in Wild Rye’s DNA because we believe deeply in protecting the places we play and making the world a better place.

What Wild Rye is Doing

The climate crisis is massive, complicated, and overwhelming. So, it’s often hard to know what we can do about our carbon footprint. 

In addition to using recycled and natural materials, seeking a sustainable supply chain and building quality products that withstand years of abuse so they don't end up in the landfill... Starting today, we’ve partnered with EcoCart to empower the Wild Rye community to make each order on the Wild Rye site 100% carbon neutral. 

For every one of our beautiful and technical pieces that ships, you can now offset the specific carbon footprint with a positive environmental impact! This means the full carbon emissions from producing, manufacturing, and shipping your favorite Wild Rye pieces to your door (or PO Box) would be completely neutralized.

Now you can rest easy knowing that shopping at Wild Rye means making a positive impact on the planet.

Huh?

What does it mean to offset emissions?

It means that for any carbon emissions released into our atmosphere as a result of manufacturing and shipping items at Wild Rye, we invest in projects that reduce carbon emissions by the same amount. It’s almost like we’re giving the planet an IOU, then immediately paying it back.

How does it work?

Now, each time someone checks the carbon neutral box at check out we will automatically purchase verified emissions reductions, more commonly known as “offsets” through our friends at EcoCart. These purchases support environmental projects, like wind and solar farms that create clean energy, or protecting trees that would otherwise be cut down so that they can continue to absorb carbon from the air. On top of it, we make sure that these projects are doing some extra good like protecting animals or supporting underserved communities.

Why is this important?

Wild Rye has always been conscious of our impact and actively worked to lighten our carbon footprint. We believe that if we all work together towards positive change, we can make the world a cleaner, healthier place.

What do you mean carbon neutral?

When we say your orders will be “carbon neutral” (“net zero” is another term you’ll hear), that means that we will eliminate, capture, or otherwise mitigate all of the carbon emissions created from making Wild Rye's apparel pieces and shipping them to your door. 

We’ll even give you information about the project your specific donation is supporting, so you know your money is going to the right place. 

Just the Beginning

At Wild Rye, we are committed to slowing the effects of climate change, one order at a time.

Carbon offsets are a starting point—an immediate way to reduce our impact. Even though this is a moment to celebrate, we think that it’d be even better if we didn’t emit any carbon in the first place. To achieve this, we’re working to develop projects in our own supply chain that will reduce our emissions directly.

The Power of Us

Our work isn’t done for another important reason. No matter how much progress we continue to make on our own footprint, Wild Rye’s footprint is actually quite small. The effects of climate change are magnified far beyond Wild Rye itself. 

In addition to offsetting omissions of your orders, there are several things we can all do at home to help. Here are a few ideas of things we're working on!

What can you do?

1. First, focus on the energy efficiency of your home. Efficiency is also the easiest way to save money. Program your thermostat. Check in with your own utility and see if they offer rebates on LED light bulbs, efficient appliances, upgraded insulation or other cost-effective upgrades like efficient water fixtures. Ask your utility if they offer a home energy audit.
2. If you own a house, installing solar might make financial sense for you. In some cases, you can install solar with no upfront cost while lowering your energy bill each month. In a few areas, you can buy into a community solar array that isn’t even on your property. If solar doesn’t work for your house or you live in an apartment or condo, ask your utility company if they offer a residential green power program. Many do with simple, reasonable terms.
3. Find brands with legitimate sustainability initiatives. Whether it’s with carbon neutral products, a sustainable supply chain, recycled materials, or eco-friendly packaging, we should all do our best to limit the carbon footprint of the products we buy. 
4. Challenge yourself to drive less and bike more. Riding your bike forces you to utilize your own muscle power. You’ll get a workout all while helping the environment. Plus, it requires much less energy to produce a bike than it does to manufacture a car. If you can’t bike to work for whatever reason, take public transportation. It puts less cars on the road, which reduces the amount of exhaust filling the air at once.
5. Opt for reusable bottles, bags, and anything else that you usually use once then throw away. If that’s not an option, make sure to properly recycle any plastic, paper, glass or metal that comes into your life. 

If we all do our part by changing our daily habits and making sustainable swaps, supporting companies that care about their impact on the Earth, and advocate for the future we deserve, we can effect real change in the world.

Thanks for joining us in doing our part to protect the places we play!

xo Cassie