Earth Month: Northern Biscuit & One Tree Planted have a treat for your dog

Brown bag goes green: One Tree Planted for every compostable bag of Northern Biscuits to lower your carbon pawprint

Looking for a way to reduce your carbon pawprint that your dog will wag her tail about? Hazel's favourite Canadian dog treat company Northern Biscuit is celebrating Earth Month with a drool-worthy promotion. For every 1.36kg compostable bag of their five top-selling biscuits purchased in April, Northern Biscuits will plant a tree with One Tree Planted, a non-profit global re-forestation organization. The trees planted for this promotion will focus on Canadian regions to help promote cleaner air and support biodiversity. Forests provide habitat to over 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, and while this biodiversity doesn't include dogs, our dogs will be happy to explore the forest and snack on Northern Biscuits- all to help the planet.

Northern Biscuit will equally divide their donation between Canadian provinces; British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. From April 1st to 30th, for every 1.36kg compostable bag for the following flavours: Canadian Bacon, Pumpkin Pie, Lamb Berry, Liverlicious, and Peanut Crunch!, purchased on northernbiscuit.ca, Northern Biscuit will donate $1 to One Tree Planted to plant a tree. It's the perfect promotion for the environmentally-conscious brand. 

"We have always been nature-lovers and wanted to make sure our kids had the same opportunities as we did to explore the forests and fields, lakes and streams- you know, just wandering about, listening to the frogs and birds; just taking in the beauty of life in its natural state," said Northern Biscuit founder Patty Grillo. The brand's green values and love for nature are some of the main reasons why Hazel and I choose Northern Biscuit. Truthfully, Hazel chooses them because she thinks their treats are yummy, but I'm sure she appreciates their eco-centric business practices.

Northern Biscuit is green all year round

Northern Biscuit is a family-owned and operated Canadian company. They've been making yummy snacks for pups since 1992. Northern Biscuit has always maintained its green values from product to packaging. Their 100% compostable packaging is a refreshing change from the plastic that a lot of dog treat companies use. Northern Biscuit packaging is made from Kraft paper and a plant-based liner. I asked Grillo why it's important to manufacture compostable bags. 

"Everywhere we looked we saw plastics cluttering the local streams, blowing across the fields," said Grillo. "We decided early on that we wanted our business to be part of the solution to consumer packaging waste. These sustainable bags help to remove waste from the environment and reduce our customers’ carbon pawprint."

It's not just the packaging that is gentle on the environment. The treats are naturally preserved using Apple Cider Vinegar, and the ingredients are sourced from local Canadian farmers. The decision not to use chemicals to preserve their product helps reduce air pollution, and sourcing ingredients from Canada reduces the carbon pawprint created by transporting ingredients to their bakery. It's also what makes their treats so tasty!

One Tree Planted takes action and raises awareness

One Tree Planted is an environmental non-profit organization that has been working hard on re-forestation across the globe- one dollar and one tree at a time. Their goal is to make it simple for people to get involved in planting trees. Since 2014 they have doubled the number of trees they plant every year and help restore forests after fires and floods, which have increased in the past 10 years due to the effects of human-caused climate change. Their tree planting efforts also create green jobs, help build communities, and protect habitat for biodiversity. In 2019 they were able to plant 4 million trees! Think of the impact 4 million trees have on clean air and water. Their work was enough to inspire Grillo and the Northern Biscuit team to strike up a green collaboration.

"We were looking for opportunities to make even more meaningful contributions to tackling air pollution and global warming. Planting trees is something tangible and easily relatable to Canadians- we all love walking the forest trails with our dogs," Grillo said. It's the truth. Hazel loves exploring the forest and so did her sister Keira. Exploration is in a mountain dog's DNA.

"With One Tree Planted we found an organization that shared our vision of a greener planet, cleaner air, and more natural spaces to enjoy with our families- both two and four-legged!"

Why do trees matter?

There are many benefits to planting trees, not just ecological benefits. The more trees on our planet, the healthier we will be. Trees' primary job is to clean the air we breathe! That's a huge motivation to hug a tree! Trees help offset the amount of carbon that humans, fossil fuel lovers, are pumping into the atmosphere. 

Trees also play a key role in capturing rainwater. Why is this important? This helps reduce natural disasters like floods and landslides. Tree roots are like filtration for our water systems. Next time you see a tree root, think of it like a Brita Water Filter. And thank it for doing a good job!

One single tree supports so much biodiversity. It's home to birds, insects, mammals, fungi, and other plant species. Trees sustain life; human, plant, and wildlife. Climate change is destroying biodiversity, killing off species, and expanding our species at risk. Without trees, we wouldn't stand a chance. Every 1.2 seconds a person destroys a forest the size of a football field. This has caused 46% of the world's forests to be destroyed.

Even here in Canada, we are destroying one of our most beloved and important forests; the Boreal Forest. A study unearthed that Boreal deforestation is far higher than government officials reported, primarily due to mass industrial logging. This is upsetting because the Boreal Forest is the world’s largest intact forest and most carbon-dense forest ecosystem- right here in our home, Canada!

Deforestation in Canada

Worldwide deforestation caused up to 20% of global human-created emissions according to the IPCC. Deforestation is not limited to places like rainforests. Here in Canada, we have deforestation taking place, mostly due to logging and to make space for agriculture, animal husbandry, and urban and industrial development. Canada's deforestation rate is the lowest in the world, but that doesn't make it acceptable. 

While deforestation caused less than 3% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, we need to consider what we are making space for. We rip down a forest to make space for things like animal agriculture, or an industrial plant, both known to be huge polluters and carbon emitters. So it's not just about removing the forest, it's also about what we are replacing it with. The logging scars are deep in our country, and they won't fade easily. 

One of the most important things we can do is raise awareness, using whatever platform we have available to us. That's exactly what Northern Biscuit is doing with their Earth Month special. 

"Caring for the environment is important to all humans and especially those of us with dogs," said Grillo. "Our loyal companions remind us how we all share and rely on clean water, clean air, and the immense pleasure of walking in a quiet forest, teaming with life." 

Northern Biscuit is taking action and creating a cleaner planet by partnering with One Tree Planted. They are spreading the word about deforestation, one dollar, one tree, and one happy dog at a time. 

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