This project improves access to safe drinking water in Cambodia by providing water filters to rural families. By eliminating the need to boil water using wood fuel, the project prevents CO2 emissions, reduces pressure on Cambodia’s precious forest resources, and improves indoor air quality.

Water-borne diseases are a major health concern in Cambodia, particularly among young children in rural areas. Untreated water and poor sanitation causes about 10 million cases of diarrhea and 10,000 deaths in the country each year. Most families in Cambodia boil water on wood or charcoal stoves to make it safe to drink. Typically women and girls are responsible for gathering and burning the firewood. This exposes them to harmful smoke which can cause adverse health effects. In addition to affecting respiratory health, this burning process also produces carbon emissions and puts pressure on Cambodia’s precious forest resources. 

This project will improve access to clean drinking water and reduce emissions by selling affordable ceramic water filters to rural households in Cambodia. Over the seven year crediting period, water filters will be provided to up to 1.7 million people across a potential 312,000 households. The filters are shown to remove 99.9% of bacteria from water and can produce up to 30 liters of clean water per day.  Families that have water filters in their homes will no longer need to disinfect their water by boiling it. 

By eliminating the need for wood fuel, the project reduces depletion of Cambodia’s forest resources, relieves mothers and daughters from collecting firewood, and lowers household fuel expenses. The use of filters instead of wood burning also lessens indoor air pollution, thereby preventing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the risk of respiratory illness. Plus, since the filters are produced by Hydrologic, a Cambodian social enterprise, the project also generates employment opportunities for local residents.

By distributing water filters to families in rural Kenya, this project eliminates the need to boil water over wood fires to make it safe for drinking. The new filters allow families to purify their drinking water without releasing harmful pollutants into the air. They also reduces the burden of firewood collection, which typically falls on women and girls, and alleviate pressure on local wood resources. 

The Sustainable Deployment of the LifeStraw Family in rural Kenya is an ongoing Clean Development Mechanism project in the Western Province of the Republic of Kenya that has been independently verified by The Gold Standard. The project generates carbon reductions through production and distribution of LifeStraw Water Filters that eliminate the need for fuel combustion to sanitize potable water fit for consumption. Each filter requires no energy to use and has been shown to provide 18,000 liters of clean water for a family of five over a three year period. At the end of the three year period each filter will be replaced using the funds generated from carbon credits.

Over 1,000,000 individuals have been targeted as recipients based on the results from independent research and three stakeholder meetings in the region.
In addition to supporting the UN Millenium Development Goal of halving the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation, this project also reduces depletion of natural resources related to the cutting of trees, relieves female children and mothers of families from collecting firewood to boil water, improves indoor air quality to reduce risk of ill-health in women and children, reduces daily fuel costs on low-income regions and provides beneficial employment to local residents during the established distribution, monitoring and replacement phases of the project.

This project is protecting a critical forest ecosystem that supports over 1,000 species in northern Peru. By providing benefits to local communities, the project motivates farmers to conserve the forest and promotes sustainable production of the region’s main crop: coffee.

The Alto Mayo Protected Forest is a critical ecosystem located in the San Martín region of the Peruvian Amazon. The forest covers approximately 182,000 hectares (450,000 acres) – an area twice the size of New York City. The area boasts extremely high biodiversity and is home to over 1,000 unique species, including rare birds, amphibians, and the yellow-tailed woolly monkey that is endemic to Peru. The forest also plays a valuable role in protecting the streams which provide water for the people who live in the Alto Mayo Basin. 

Although the Alto Mayo Forest is designated as a protected area, it is still threatened by high rates of deforestation and degradation. Rising coffee prices and a new highway spurred thousands of migrant farmers to flock to the region. It is estimated that more than 4,000 families now live in and around the forest.  Unfortunately, as more people settled in the region and agricultural production expanded, it came at a cost to Alto Mayo’s environment. Farmers burned and cleared trees to plant crops and utilized unsustainable coffee production techniques. As a result, they were destroying not only a critical ecosystem, but the very resources their livelihoods depend on.

This REDD+ project is reducing tropical deforestation by protecting and restoring the Alto Mayo Protected Forest. It is addressing the main causes of deforestation in the area by working directly with local communities and the Peruvian Government. 

By providing economic benefits to local communities, the project incentivizes inhabitants to conserve the forest and protect its precious resources. Local families sign conservation agreements in exchange for benefits, such as agricultural training, farming equipment, public health campaigns, and school supplies.  By signing the agreements, families pledge to not cut down trees, use sustainable farming practices, and engage in various other conservation activities. In addition, farmers are provided with access to coffee and native tree seedlings so they can also plant native trees within their coffee plantations. 

To date, over 848 community members have pledged to protect the trees of Alto Mayo. In addition to providing incentives, the project is also creating new job opportunities for local communities. People are paid for certain conservation activities, such as patrolling and safeguarding the forest. In total, more than 240,000 inhabitants of the Alto Mayo Basin are benefiting as a result of the project.

By installing biogas digesters in households across Vietnam, this project provides rural families with a clean and affordable source of energy. Use of these digesters reduces reliance on traditional fuels which lessens greenhouse gas emissions, prevents deforestation, and improves community health.

Vietnam is home to millions of small family farmers, many of whom raise livestock such as pigs and cattle. The waste from these animals produces large amounts of methane emissions – a greenhouse gas that is even more potent than carbon dioxide. Since 1990, Vietnam’s methane emissions have nearly doubled. In addition to fueling climate change, the waste produced by these animals can lead to water pollution and poor sanitation when it is not properly managed. This poor waste management can cause health issues for many local families.

In order to create energy, many families in rural Vietnam burn wood or conventional fossil fuels indoors. This process emits harmful particles into the air which can lead to respiratory illness. Parts of Vietnam experience limited access to traditional cooking fuels and firewood, and are affected by the increasing price of commercial fuels. Despite recent development, 59% of Vietnam’s small family farms remain below the national poverty line. Fuel costs are just one more financial burden on these communities.

This project installs biogas digesters in rural households, providing families with sustainable and affordable energy. Local people are trained to build and maintain the digesters which work by collecting human and animal waste in a brick reservoir. When this waste decomposes, it releases methane gas which is piped into homes and used for cooking and lighting. The remaining is converted into an organic compost that can be used to fertilize their crops.

As of 2017, the project has supplied 158,500 biogas digesters and over 2,600 local people have been trained as masons and technicians. The digesters provide a clean, renewable, and reliable source of energy for 790,000 rural individuals. By converting methane from animal waste into household fuel, the project lessens harmful greenhouse gas emissions and prevents indoor air pollution. Since the project reduces reliance on wood fuel it also helps to protect surrounding forests areas, while reducing income spent on fuel and time spent collecting firewood. The project also improves sanitation and reduces water pollution by removing animal manure from the surrounding area. 

This project reduces deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon by improving forest management and promoting sustainable nut harvesting. This will help protect critical rainforest habitat and endangered species, while supporting the livelihoods of indigenous communities.

The Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon is covered by dense tropical rainforest that is home to spectacular biodiversity. Numerous endangered animals rely on this lush habitat for their survival, including the golden lion tamarin and lowland tapir. In addition, several indigenous communities reside in the forests and are highly dependent on its resources. 

Madre de Dios is one of the regions most affected by deforestation in Peru. In the last fifteen years, more than 490,000 acres of its rainforests were lost. The new Interoceanic highway cuts through this region, connecting the Brazilian Amazon to Peru’s Pacific ports. While this highway increases accessibility, it opens the doors to other environmental problems such as deforestation caused by migrant farmers and illegal loggers. This puts certain native tree species, such as mahogany and cedar, at risk of extinction, and threatens the wildlife and people who live in the region.

This project will dramatically reduce deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon and protect approximately 740,000 acres (300,000 hectares) of rainforest. The project aims to reduce pressure on this biodiversity hotspot by improving forest management and increasing the economic value of the healthy forest. To accomplish this, the project supports sustainable Brazil nut harvesting by local farmers. This allows local communities to reap economic benefits from the forest without diminishing its natural integrity. As a result, over 400 families benefit economically from nut production. In addition, the project will improve monitoring and enforcement in the area and train 460 local people on forest protection practices. 

By preventing deforestation of the rainforest, this project reduces greenhouse gas emissions and conserves an incredibly valuable ecosystem. At the same time, it supports the livelihoods of indigneous communities and creates employment opportunities for rural producers.

This project focuses on the sustainable management and restoration of Garcia River Forest in Northern California. By promoting selective timber harvesting, the project benefits the local economy while conserving massive Redwood trees which store substantial amounts of carbon.

Redwood forests store more carbon per acre than any other type of forest on the planet. As a result, it is incredibly important that we protect these vital ecosystems.  

The 23,780-acre Garcia River Forest is located in the heart of Northern California’s Redwood region. Decades of timber harvesting by the logging industry have severely depleted the region’s natural resources. What was once a flourishing habitat for threatened species such as northern spotted owls and Coho salmon is now a fragile ecosystem. In addition to the environmental damage caused by deforestation, soil erosion from old logging roads fills streams with sediment. As the forest becomes less productive, jobs are lost and the local economy suffers. 

This project promotes the sustainable management and restoration of Garcia River Forest, which is owned and managed by The Conservation Fund. By encouraging selective timber harvesting, the project ensures logging continues to benefit the local economy without jeopardizing the fertility of this critical habitat. In addition to conserving wooded areas, the project’s restoration activities will help improve water quality and rehabilitate aquatic habitats.

The sustainable logging method being used in Garcia River Forest allows the remaining trees to grow bigger at a faster rate. This allows them to store more carbon – good news for our planet and climate! As a result of this project, 77,000 tons of carbon emissions are absorbed and stored by the forest annually. And by increasing ecosystem productivity the project also supports local jobs and enhances recreational opportunities for current and future generations.