The Town of Minto is linking fuel use to funding for a local tree-planting program.
At its March 18 meeting, council directed staff to develop a plan to implement a one-cent-per-litre transfer from town fuel budgets and a voluntary donation of one cent per kilometre from staff and council mileage claims to Minto’s Trees for Farms initiative, to be used exclusively for tree-planting programs.
At the March 4 council meeting deputy mayor Terry Fisk asked staff to investigate the joint Ausable Bayfield and Maitland Valley Conservation Authority Footprints to Forests program.
A website (www.footprintstoforests.com) has been set up that allows users to calculate their carbon footprint and make a donation to the conservation authority to plant the number of trees that would “respond” to that footprint.
The town uses about 130,000 litres of fuel each year, and pays out $18,360 in mileage to staff and council for personal use of vehicles, for about 36,000 kilometres travelled.
Using the carbon-offset formula, staff estimate that 950 trees would be needed to offset the town’s carbon footprint.
A report by CAO Bill White suggests that if the town donated one cent per litre of fuel consumed to the program about $1,300 would be raised. If staff and council donate one cent per kilometre received for mileage travelled, an additional $360 would be raised.
“The Trees for Farms Committee has been initiated in Minto to look at other benefits of planting trees such as flood and erosion control, wind breaks and similar projects,” White explained.
“The Town could adopt a program that links its fuel consumption with the tree-planting program. It is not a requirement that the money be donated to the Footprints to Forest program run by the conservation authority. Staff at both authorities stressed the importance of getting trees planted, rather than which agency would receive a town donation.”
Mayor George Bridge said, “I think that’s great way to go,”
Fisk, who represents the town on the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority board of directors, said, “Again I think the town of Minto is showing some leadership here. I’m guessing we’ll be the first municipality to do this.
“I’ll be very proud to tell them that we’ll be moving ahead with this program.”
