Sustainability with Dividends THE WORLD TREE CARBON OFFSET PROGRAM

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1 Sustainability with Dividends THE WORLD TREE CARBON OFFSET PROGRAM

2 Carbon offsets that put money in your pocket How do you have a positive impact on the environment without sacrificing your quality of life? At World Tree we provide the answer with our Carbon Offset Program. Many people are looking for green alternatives to conventional investment approaches. The World Tree Carbon Offset Program is an investment strategy for people who want to use their money to create both positive change in the world and a secure financial future for their family. The Carbon Offset Program provides the following benefits: Offset your carbon footprint for life Protect our precious legacy of old growth forests Investment in a long-term program that builds wealth Participants in the program offset their carbon emissions by purchasing our Empress Splendor trees, which we plant and manage on their behalf. Empress Splendor trees are the fastest growing hardwood trees in the world. Within just 10 years, they grow into mature trees that can be harvested and sold for lumber. The profit from the sale of this valuable lumber is shared with all the participants in the program.

3 Our national conservation effort must include the complete spectrum of resources: air, water, and land; fuels, energy, and minerals; soils, forests, and forage; fish and wildlife. Together they make up the world of nature which surrounds us. ~ John F. Kennedy Climate change is happening now The world s climate scientists tell us there is no longer any question that climate change is happening at an alarming rate. The last 10 years were the warmest on record and sea levels are rising at 1.25 inches per decade. A 2014 White House economic report has warned of increasing storms, heat waves, severe droughts, wild fires, rising sea levels, severe storm damage and acidification of the oceans. This is an issue that will affect us all. The White House report predicts that just 3 degrees of warming will cause economic damages in excess of $150 billion dollars per year in North America alone. Carbon emissions are the main culprit We all have a carbon footprint. Heating our homes, driving our cars, running our computers and devices, even the food we eat requires energy to produce. When fossil fuels are burned to create energy they emit carbon dioxide which, along with other greenhouse gases, contributes directly to global warming. If we want to slow the rate of climate change, then we must reduce the impact of our energy consumption and carbon emissions.

4 Your carbon footprint The average North American family produces 80 tons of carbon a year. All this carbon is going into the atmosphere and this is causing global warming. To reverse global warming and slow climate change, we all need to take action to reduce our carbon emissions. Purchasing a World Tree Carbon Offset Package will cancel out your entire family s carbon emissions for the next 50 years. Creating a better future for your family There are only two ways to reduce your carbon footprint: use less energy or find a way to offset your carbon output. Biking to work, buying local food and using energy effecient appliances are all effective ways of reducing your carbon output. Many people are refitting their homes to be more energy efficient and to use clean energy sources such as solar power. However, even the greenest homes and workplaces still have a carbon footprint. Planting trees is one of the most effective ways of offsetting your carbon emissions.

5 The World Tree Carbon Offset Program - make going green a sound investment What if you could not just offset all those carbon emissions but you could also make money in the process? The World Tree Carbon Offset Program provides a pathway to both sustainability and a strong financial future. The key to our Carbon Offset Program is the Empress Splendor tree. Empress Splendor trees are not only excellent at reducing carbon emissions, they are also the fastest growing hardwood tree in the world (as reported in the Guinness Book of World Records). We take your investment in the Carbon Offset Program and use it to plant these amazing trees. Ten years later, when the trees reach full maturity, they are sold for lumber and you share in the profits. The Empress Splendor Tree - Nature s most effective CO 2 scrubber The Empress Splendor tree sequesters 11 times more carbon than any other tree. 5 acres of trees absorb over 25,000 tons of carbon over 50 years, more than enough to offset an entire family. The impressive carbon absorption abilities of the Empress Tree have been measured and verified by Environment Resources Trust.

6 Grows in poor conditions & replenishes the soil Naturally Insect Resistant Tri-tap root system with low water requirement

7 How it works The Carbon Offset Program is a unique partnership between investors, farmers and World Tree. You purchase the trees and receive certification confirming your carbon offsets. For most families, 5 acres of trees is enough to offset your carbon emissions for life. Your trees are planted and managed by World Tree certified farmers. Once the trees reach maturity (in 10 years), they are sold for lumber and profits are split three ways. The farmer (who is doing most of the work) receives 50% of the proceeds, while you and World Tree receive 25% each. Once harvested, Empress Splendor trees regenerate from the root once more beginning the cycle of carbon sequestration. Your return on investment Trees are sold in 5 acre units costing USD $5,000. Your return on investment is dependent on the sale of lumber, which currently sells at between $3 and $14 per board foot. If the lumber sells for $3 per board foot this would provide you with a return of $112,500. This is equivalent to an annual return on investment of 36%. We can t predict the future or what will happen to the price of lumber in years to come. In 14 years of doing business, we have never sold lumber for less than $8 per board foot.

8 Protecting your investment One of the biggest risk factors is damage to the trees due to severe weather. World Tree protects your investment by both insuring the trees and creating a risk-pool, by planting the trees across dozens of farms many thousands of miles apart. If anything should happen to one stand of trees, this will not have a big impact on your overall investment. Participating farmers are carefully chosen for their experience in growing Empress Splendor trees and their commitment to the long term success of the program. World Tree works hand in hand with our farmers to ensure a profitable experience for everyone involved. Replenishing the heartland The Empress Splendor is a variety of Paulownia. World Tree chose this particular species based on its speed of growth and the quality of wood that is produced. The Empress Tree is non-invasive, non-gmo and responds best to organic farming methods. Empress Trees grow across North and South America and parts of British Columbia, Canada. They thrive even in the worst soil conditions, including a sandy clay loam. By virtue of their high protein and nutrient content, they help replenish the soil making barren land useable again for farming. Pine trees, by contrast, take years to grow and severely deplete the soil making it virtually unusable after the trees have been felled. Empress Splendor trees will grow even in these conditions bringing vitality back to the land.

9 Facts and Figures Minimum purchase: 5 acres / USD $5,000 Time to harvest: 10 years Harvest approx. 30,000 board feet per acre Currently sells for between $3 and $14 per board foot Profit is shared 25% investor: 50% farmer: 25% World Tree Your actual return on investment is dependent on the price we get for the sale of the lumber. While World Tree will endeavor to get the highest possible price for the lumber, it is not possible to predict returns in the future. Figures shown here are for illustration purposes based on the current selling price of Empress lumber. Price per board ft. ($USD) $3 $5 $8 Total profit $450,000 $750,000 $1,200,000 Investor return $112,500 $187,500 $300,000 World Tree return $112,500 $187,500 $300,000 Farmer return $250,000 $375,000 $600,000 Potential return on investment for a single Carbon Offset Unit, depending on the sale price of the lumber. Lumber uses The Empress (botanical name: Paulownia) has been widely used in the orient for over 1,000 years. The wood is a source of strong, light weight lumber for many applications from the production of surfboards, musical instruments, furniture, windows, doors and crown molding, to decorative finishing applications. The lumber is straight grained, silky to the touch, has an exceptionally high strength to weight ratio, and it can be peeled for veneer in 1/32 inch thickness.

10 About World Tree Over 20 years ago Wendy Burton, our President and CEO, was introduced to the Paulownia Tree, a unique fast growing hardwood species with 23 different varieties worldwide. Several years later, after sourcing the most superior of the Paulownia species, she formed World Tree Inc. World Tree has been in business now for 14 years. While the Empress Tree is known and greatly prized in Asia, it is relatively unknown in North America. World Tree has been an innovator, leading the way in researching the best way to plant and grow the tree, educating the public in the properties of the tree and training farmers in how to successfully cultivate it. World Tree caught the attention of Morley Safer of 60 Minutes. He was so impressed that his company, the American Environmental Review, did a documentary on the Empress Tree. World Tree was also featured on Oprah and Connie Sellecca s Family and Home. Wendy Burton, CEO The World Tree Carbon Offset Program launched in The program aligns perfectly with World Tree s mission and values. It provides a way to effectively absorb considerable amounts of carbon, protect old growth forests, support farmers and provide ordinary people with the ability to make a difference to the planet with their investment dollars. Our mission World Tree s sole purpose is to transform the planet by providing the Empress Splendor Tree as a powerful solution to the world s carbon footprint. We envision a future where farmers are appreciated for the significant role they play and people are inspired by their contribution. Our carbon offset program makes it possible for everyone to reverse their impact on the environment and generate wealth for themselves, their families and their communities. Photographic Credits We wish to acknowledge the following photographers for provding their images, courtesy of Flickr: Wendy Cutler (creative commons licencing and copyrights apply), savitasajep and Timberland Surf.

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