Offset Carbon Emissions
When looking into opportunities for helping our planet, we came across an opportunity to help both the environment AND people at the same time which perfectly fits with our values. Our ambition is to become a carbon positive business during 2020.
As such, we have signed up to a Gold Standard VER (Verified Emission Reduction) projects scheme which is a high quality carbon offsetting scheme that also provides additional social and community benefits. The schemes are measured, audited and all carbon offsets sold are retired on the appropriate carbon registries within 12 months of the purchase being made.
A donation of only £8 will offset approximately 1 tonne of Carbon Emissions through community schemes – for that we can can begin to make a difference to people's lives whilst creating benefit for our planet and our ecosystems. Something we really believe in.
The schemes we are investing in help to save an estimated 100,000+ tonnes of Co2 per year.
The projects that our donation supports are as follows;
The Breathing Space Improved Cooking Stoves (ICS) Programme -Est. Reductions: 15,851 tCO2e per year
A comparative risk study by the World Health Organisation found that approximately 400,000 women and children die each year due to exposure to smoke from household fuels which is a horrific statistic.
This is alongside the damage to our planet created by burning non-renewable fuels when left with no choice.
'The Breathing Space Programme' creates benefits in communities and for the planet by replacing traditional stoves with stoves that produce cleaner and greener air therefore helping to reduce the problems created by indoor air pollution.
Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Improves the health and well being of women, children and families.
Creates employment opportunities for those involved in distributing, fixing and raising awareness of the Improved Cooking Stoves.
Improves the living conditions in households affected by the project particularly for women and children. One of the ways it does this is to reduce the amount of time required for gathering fuel, and as the Improved cooking stoves are more efficient it also reduces the time required for cooking and the cost of using the stove.
Improves accessibility to clean and renewable energy supplies by developing strong channels of communication and availability.
Borehole Rehabilitation Project in Uganda - Est. Reductions: 8,758 tCO2e per year
The Borehole project is a micro project in Uganda, providing a source of clean drinking water to a local community
The most basic requirement to sustain life is clean water – we believe that everyone should have the right to this. Approximately 60% of the people in the North Region of Uganda do not have access to clean water and rely exclusively on open wells, lakes and other unprotected sources.
Unfortunately many rural communities across Sub-Saharan Africa the struggle to find clean safe drinking water due to the lack of infrastructure that came as a result of the long standing war and finding clean water can take a major part of a family's resource.
More often than not the burden falls to women and children to collect water often walking a great distance from home. Even then water drawn from pools or rivers is often contaminated with pollutants and potentially lethal bacteria that cause illness and infections, and so to make the water palatable and safe to drink it needs to be boiled.
The project works with local communities to identify and repair the many broken boreholes in Uganda.
As well as the natural health benefits it means that families no longer have to boil the water, saving firewood and thereby preventing carbon emissions from being released.
Clean and Efficient Cooking and Heating Project - Est. Reductions from the project: 82,100 tCO2e per year
The Clean and Efficient Cooking and Heating Project is a fuel-switching and efficiency project operating in Shanxi, Hubei and Guizhou Provinces where disparity between the rich and the poor have lead to the increasing use of solid non renewable fuel as a main household fuel in poorer communities. Presently, poor households are unable to easily switch away from coal because of the high cost and lack of awareness of cleaner-burning fuels or technologies
The Project reduces greenhouse gases by selling different kinds of affordable improved stoves that use excess agriculture residues (a 100% renewable fuel source), renewable wood, and improves the efficiency of coal consumption where used.
The introduction of clean and efficient gasifier stoves which promote fuel switching from coal to renewable surplus crop residues is an attractive rural energy solution that can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and reduce air pollution. The financing of such projects can help to overcome cost barriers and adoption issues.
If you would like to offset additional carbon emissions through our socially responsible scheme click here.
