Our commitment to the planet
The Leakey Foundation is a certified carbon-neutral nonprofit. This means we’ve calculated our greenhouse gas emissions, and we’re continuously reducing them. We have also offset our unavoidable emissions through carbon offset projects.
Why we’re taking action
Research supported by The Leakey Foundation has revealed that many hominin species existed during the course of our evolution. But now there is only us, Homo sapiens, and we face a climate crisis that threatens our survival.
The record of human evolution is a record replete with extinction events. If we fail to act now to address the threat posed by global warming, we may face another extinction event, one that involves us.
Certified carbon neutral
Achieving carbon neutrality is a major milestone for The Leakey Foundation. It reflects our dedication to the planet in every aspect of our work. It also serves our mission to advance understanding of human origins, evolution, behavior, and survival.
We’ve made thoughtful changes to reduce our environmental footprint, like using less energy and traveling smarter. This includes our office operations, our staff members’ commutes, our grantees’ research and travel, our educational outreach programs, and even this website.
By being carbon neutral, we’re leading by example, showing that it’s possible to conduct important research while caring for our planet. This commitment ensures that our efforts to learn about the natural world are consistent with our values–and yours.
Our path to carbon neutrality
Together with ClimatePartner, we’ve worked to understand, significantly reduce, and offset our environmental footprint.
Here’s our approach:
Step 1: Understanding our impact
We’ve collaborated with ClimatePartner to calculate our Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF), a comprehensive measure of the emissions we generate through energy use, travel, office operations, and more. This detailed assessment helps us see the full scope of our impact.
Step 2: Taking action to reduce our footprint
Our carbon footprint numbers guide our efforts to reduce our emissions. Each year, we revisit our Corporate Carbon Footprint to track our progress and identify new opportunities to lessen our environmental impact.
One example is that we now hold our annual September board meeting virtually, eliminating the cross-country flights our trustees took in the past. Another action we’re committed to is investing in scientists who live in the places where wild primates and fossils are found, reducing the travel necessary for their research.
Step 3: Offsetting unavoidable emissions
We’re taking meaningful action now, rather than waiting for the ideal solution.
Studying the earth’s history and researching endangered primates has taught us that every action counts. While offsets are not the perfect answer to the climate crisis, they are a step we can take today.
Without offsetting, the ambitious 1.5-degree target of the Paris Convention is not achievable. The world does not yet have the necessary technologies to reduce emissions drastically enough to meet this goal. By investing in carbon offset projects, we’re compensating for our emissions while supporting sustainable development in the southern hemisphere and contributing to a global effort to mitigate climate change.
Forest Protection
Kasigau Wildlife Corridor, Kenya
A Verified Carbon Standard CCBS Project that conserves a section of dry forest and savanna in the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor, which connects the Tsavo East and Tsavo West Natural Parks in Kenya. It is home to endangered species such as lions, zebras, and parrots as well as countless species of birds. Every day during their seasonal migration, 2,000 African elephants cross the area.
The project was chosen as the Best Offsetting Project in Environmental Finance’s 8th voluntary carbon poll in 2017.
Wind energy
Sidrap, Indonesia
A Gold Standard VER Project that works to expand renewable energy in Indonesia.
The carbon finance from our project facilitated the construction and operation of a wind farm near the villages of Mattirotasi and Lainungan in the Watang Pulu Subdistrict, Sidrap Regency in the province of South Sulawesi. The plant comprises 30 turbines and has a total capacity of 75 MW. It generates an average of 253 GWh per year, which is fed into Indonesia’s national grid. The project thus contributes to increasing the share of renewable energies in the Indonesian energy mix and at the same time reduces dependence on electricity imports. It also has several positive impacts on sustainable development in the region.
Join our climate action efforts
Your support helps us continue our carbon-neutral work to explore and explain the wonders of evolution. Together, we can make science sustainable and build a brighter future for our planet.
Transparency for you and our planet
Transparency is an important part of our approach to being carbon neutral. Click here to see our certificate and learn about our emissions, reductions, and offsets.