Companies are increasingly aiming to reduce their carbon emissions and achieve net-zero goals. Xcel Energy recently announced their commitment to reduce emissions by 25% by 2030, while investing in six high-quality carbon projects across the United States to offset what cannot yet be reduced. Among the six projects is the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Planting Project, a partnership between Green Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The trees planted as part of this project will benefit the city’s residents by addressing the inequitable distribution of tree canopy, reducing urban heat island effects, mitigating air pollution, and improving stormwater management.

“Rigorous quality criteria are key to ensuring the projects we support produce real, additional and conservatively quantified GHG reductions. Working with established offset registries like the American Carbon Registry, City Forest Credits, Climate Action Reserve and Verra helps ensure that because it guarantees these projects have followed robust quantification protocols, been third-party verified, and are issued serialized credits so that no one else can claim the credits we retire on our customers’ behalf.”

Nicholas Martin, Xcel Energy’s Director of Strategic Outreach and Advocacy

Read more at Xcel Energy’s blog here.