Today is the 50th Earth Day, and development charity Self Help Africa wants retailers, small manufacturers and other businesses to support their campaign to plant a million new trees in Africa this year.

If it reaches its goal, the initiative will enable Irish businesses to plant trees that will remove more than 20 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere every year, for decades to come, says the NGO.

According to Self Help Africa it doesn’t cost much to plant a tree, and small businesses can expect to offset their entire carbon footprint with cash support for the campaign amounting to just a few hundred euros each year.

Each tree planted, once mature, will remove approximately 25kg of carbon from the atmosphere every year, so planting 400 trees, for example, will sequester a tonne of carbon annually during its life.

Head of business development Martha Hourican said: "The campaign will give Irish businesses the chance to do much more than just reduce their carbon footprint. Their investment in trees will also benefit poor rural households in Africa.

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“A tree that is planted anywhere will benefit people everywhere. The fact that we’re planting trees in sub-Saharan Africa, where rural communities who are least responsible for climate change are feeling some of its worst effects, should make this proposition even more attractive to business owners.”

Self Help Africa’s partner is GreenFeet, a consultancy that provides services to businesses seeking to devise more comprehensive carbon-offsetting strategies. Its app allows corporate clients to calculate their carbon usage quickly, and reduce their carbon emissions.

The app is online here and there’s lots more information on Earth Day here, including suggestions for households, businesses, and individuals, together with fun activities for kids, and a live digital conference that begins at 5pm today.

Dunleer Centra owner Eamonn Victory has signed up already to the One Million Trees campaign, and says the tree-planting solution is a no-brainer for small enterprises of any kind.

“I started to look at the energy that my business was consuming, and loved the idea of doing something that would allow my business to become carbon neutral,” he said. “A little bit of research told me that planting trees was the most effective answer.”