Human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, logging, and ranching of livestock exert an increasing influence on the climate and temperature of the earth.
Every time you turn on the light, your computer, you move by car, bus or plane, you contribute to carbon (CO2) emission at different levels. Gas released into the atmosphere traps solar heat and contributes to global warming.
These activities release enormous amounts of greenhouse gases, which are added to those naturally present in the atmosphere, thus reinforcing the greenhouse effect and global warming.
Launched in April 2021, Verdoo, a social startup, came up with a unique idea that helps online shoppers battle climate change by planting a tree for every purchase made. The Romanian tech startup Verdoo was inspired by the acceleration of online shopping at the beginning of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
Trees act against global warming as they absorb CO2, a gas with greenhouse effect properties, from the air, but also provide other critical environmental services: they provide food and shelter for insects and birds, recover part of the original landscape, prevent wind erosion and of water, purify the air in cities, slow down water runoff in the face of possible floods, reduce noise pollution, beautify our spaces and help combat the heat island effect in cities.
The browser extension Verdoo was launched on Earth Day 2021. It runs on Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
The browser extension activates deals with over 10000 online stores. Part of the cost of the online purchase is used for global reforestation.
In other words, every time you buy something online, you’re helping plant trees, which offsets the environmental impact of online shopping—namely, delivery trucks powered by diesel fuel and waste generated from packaging. As a bonus, Verdoo also connects shoppers with the best deals from its partner retailers.
Climate change is undeniably real. Mainly caused by human activities that also put human lives at risk. Thanks to Giurca, who created Verdoo to help consumers offset the carbon impact while partnering with more than 10,000 retailers.
“The last year has taught us that doing nothing is already an action. We’re the first generation that experiences the effects of global warming and the last that can do anything about it. We’re pleasantly surprised to see that people, especially the younger generations, are very conscious of the environment. Our mission is to help them buy the things they need in a sustainable manner and at a lower price than they would’ve found otherwise.” says Giurca.