When Mike Casey was setting up his cherry orchard near Cromwell, he thought all the trees that were being planted would suck up a lot of carbon. That did help, but once he crunched the numbers, he realised he wasn't focusing on the right thing. Instead of capturing carbon with trees, he needed to use machines that just didn't emit it.

That decision to shift way from expensive foreign molecules and instead run his business with cheaper local electrons and electric machines saves him tens of thousands of dollars each year on energy and has slashed the emissions on farm to almost nothing.

Many people still think recycling is the best response to climate change. Others who are more clued up on the science might avoid unnecessary flights, eat less meat or dairy, or choose to travel by foot, bike or public transport. We think a big part of the solution is for more people to electrify their machines, and many New Zealanders are not aware that the biggest emission savings in their own life are often hiding in plain sight - in their driveways, in their hot water cupboards, and in their kitchens.

To illustrate this, we decided to compare those machines with the emissions from something people can relate to: return flights between Queenstown and Auckland. And, over a lifetime, those numbers add up.

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