As stalwart fans of the outdoors, every year our Business Partnerships team looks forward to March, which marks the month when we can finally defrost, get our kids outside to play and enjoy all that nature has to offer.  It also marks a time when we can march forward with C&S Wholesale Grocers, one of our long time climate champions, to address climate change and restore habitat for wildlife. As the largest food wholesaler in the United States, C&S Wholesale Grocers leads by example - reducing its carbon footprint when storing and shipping food—and that’s making a difference in the air, on the ground and in our streams and rivers. So, to celebrate their climate leadership, we have five reasons why we think March is the perfect month for C&S Wholesale Grocers to support The Conservation Fund.

•             March’s Green Madness – It is easy to find a group of “sixteen sweet species” on reforestation projects. They include a range of threatened or endangered animals like Louisiana black bear, American alligator and long-eared bat.  Click here to see sixteen species that C&S Wholesale Grocers has supported on the Mingo, Grande Cote, Red River and Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuges. These refuges all made it into the “four final refuges” that C&S Wholesale Grocers has supported through The Conservation Fund.  By supporting the Fund for “eight elite years,” C&S is planting enough trees to offset portions of its energy use and 100% of their employee’s commute.  This is similar to covering more than 317 basketball courts with trees each year. 

•             Spring Cleaning – Estimates are that as much as 50% of the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide over the last 50 years may be due to the effects of land use change. Furthermore, climate scientists estimate that between 12-17% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by deforestation. That means that C&S is doing the ultimate spring cleaning by helping to clean CO2 from the air by donating to Go Zero to plant trees to offset CO2 emissions

•             The Ides of March – Perhaps Julius Caesar needed to beware March, but The Conservation Fund welcomes  this month every year as we celebrate our heroes who commit to reduce their carbon emissions. This is because we know that supporting restoration on the US Fish and Wildlife National Fish and Wildlife Refuge System is also strengthening the local economy, cleaning the waterways and providing recreation opportunities across the nation. 

•             St. Patrick’s Day – Many believe that St. Patrick’s Day is the time to turn everything green. In its eight years as a partner, C&S has contributed to the planting of 57,323 trees at five wildlife refuges nationwide.  This year’s gift will offset the 2014 CO2 emissions associated with the electricity and propane use at eight facilities, including two corporate headquarters buildings. The donation also offsets the emissions associated with the annual roundtrip employee commutes for more than 1,600 employees.

•             Spring Forward – Committing to sustainable operations means saving more than just daylight. It applies to operational retrofitting, transportation fuel savings  and e-waste recycling.  The company’s carbon reductions made through The Conservation Fund over the past eight years add up, equating to taking 14,433 passenger vehicles off the road for a year, switching more than 1.7 million incandescent lamps to CFL bulbs.  

“The concept behind The Fund's restoration projects – plant a tree and trap a ton – is simple and powerful at the same time,” said Gina Goff, Senior Director of Community Involvement at C&S Wholesale Grocers. “Joining with The Conservation Fund and the companies and individuals from across our great nation supporting restoration is a meaningful way for us to make a difference for the environment.”

So, while some may claim that March comes in like a lion and go out like a lamb, we think it begins rather pleasantly. And we think March is the perfect month to support The Conservation Fund’s carbon offset program.


So, from the carbon team, Happy 30th Anniversary to The Conservation Fund - we are honored to contribute to the mission.

To learn more about The Conservation Fund’s 30 years of conservation please visit our new website at www.conservationfund.org.