Filling mailboxes all over the world with postcards fills us up with happiness… but it also has an impact on the planet. We are committed to running Postcrossing in an environmentally friendly way, and have been working on this goal over the years. Today we would like to update you all on our choices and initiatives, and invite you to join in as well!
To run an online platform like Postcrossing, we need servers. Since a few years ago, all our servers are running in a carbon-neutral datacenter in Europe, run by Amazon AWS. Their sustainability program builds wind and solar farms that offset the energy consumption of their data centers, with the long-term goal of having their infrastructure 100% powered by renewable energy. We’ve also switched to a renewable energy provider for our tiny home office.
We believe these are steps in the right direction, but we also wanted to do something more tangible. So a while ago, Postcrossing started to regularly donate to Quercus, a Portuguese non-profit environmental organization whose initiatives include reforestation projects and the nurturing of existing woods. In a country devastated far too often by fires, this cause was dear to our hearts and seemed like a good way to improve on the environment around us.
As part of our donations, we were invited to plant some trees, so last weekend, in a different kind of Postcrossing meeting, we got together with some volunteer postcrossers, rolled up our sleeves and planted a thousand trees in central Portugal. A tiny Postcrossing forest made of two different pine species was born! We took some pictures to show you:
The event took place in the historical Pinhal de Leiria, a pine forest created in the 13th century to stop the nearby dunes from advancing inland, and whose trees provided wood for the Portuguese ships that sailed all around the world. Sadly, this forest burned down almost completely in October of 2017, and it is still heartbreaking to walk those woods with their charred tree skeletons… but at least we’re making a tiny difference in its rebirth. Everyone loved the experience, and we plan to repeat this initiative in the coming years.
And finally, there are always choices each one of us can do to make this hobby more eco-friendly. For instance, prefer postcards made with FSC certified paper, or walk/bike to the post office instead of driving there. We’ve compiled a list of green tips on this page, and welcome further ideas on the forum or on the comments below.
We believe that every action counts, so join us in making Postcrossing a greener hobby, one small step (or tree!) at a time.
67 comments so far
Reading how much the Postcrossing community considers the importance of being environmentally friendly by participating in a tree-planting event is most inspiring and a story worth passing along. It's definitely a message to stress and include when writing our postcards. (I'm marking my calendar to include special "green tip" reminders on cards I send in April around Earth Day, but the topic of maintaining a safe and healthy environment should be remembered every day)
That's super! Thank you!
I don't own a car, so bringing the card to the mailbox happens by foot or bicycle.
Using FSC-postcards is also a good tip! I will keep that in mind when I buy new ones.
https://rusingakids.wordpress.com
Every day is earthday!
I don't even have a driving license and since my mailbox is just across the street, I always walk there. And I agree with MerlinM: You don't need a car in a big city. I live in Vienna and I wouldn't even want a car. No parking lots and nightmarish traffick. Public transport is so much more relaxed!
But here is a little note: I saw a serious documentation above FSC - certificated paper and was surprised. They distroy the rainforest ... - they occupy land ... They are far away from the original idea. see Greenpeace. But on the other hand there is no alternative....
* All postal deliveries in Dublin City Centre will be carried out by zero emission vehicles by year end
* Zero emission deliveries to be extended to Cork, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick & Waterford by 2020
* 750 Electric Vehicles to replace urban fleet by 2022, 200 on the streets this year
Now many years later and seeing this blog, I remembered myself in it. Thanks to the enthusiasts. keep it up.
Hat s off
i'll follow ur steps here in my city :)
full respect and support for ur efforts
I have also collaborated with planting seedlings near the hiking trail that I usually go to.
Every single person is responsible that Mother Earth last for future generations.
But many people lost touch with nature. A small garden is considered a venue for parties, a sun-deck, a private playground for their children (what happened to sharing playgrounds) but rarely as a small piece of nature to give room for diverse life.
We all can provide that space....
:)
We don't have a car so I always walk to the post-office or I go there by bicycle. We've switched to a renewable energy provider, too, some years ago.
Another idea is using ecosia instead of google. Ecosia is a social business which donates most of their profit to organizations who protect nature. More than 55 million trees have already been planted due to ecosia, for example in Brazil and in Burkina Faso.
A lot of you may not know it, but Leiria is a portuguese city, well-known in our country for its pinewood. In the 13th century, the king, D. Afonso III, enacted its beginning, by ordering the planting of pine trees. However, it was his son, D. Dinis, that became famed for it, so much that we, sometimes, refer to him as "O Lavrador", which (kind of) means "The Farmer".
The "Pinhal de Leiria" (yes, that's how we call the pinewood) has always had a very important role in Portuguese History. Its trees were what provided the wood for the boats that propelled the Portuguese Discoveries, in the beginning of the 15th century.
Seeing Postcrossing collaborating with Quercus is enough for me to believe that, despite all the forest fires, there's still hope. Thank you for showing us how amazing it is to be a member of this community.
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