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The issue of carbon off-setting is something that is very close to our hearts at Tangkoko and we have for some time frowned on the various schemes put forward by a number of high street and independent organisations as merely 'Greenwash' and a rather cynical way of cashing in on the 'Green' movement. We do not believe that it is acceptable or logical to suggest that planting a few Oak trees in the UK will in some way off-set or make-up for the loss of bio-diversity in another continent. We were interested to read in the Guardian article (Saturday June 16 2007, go to climatechange) 'The inconvenient truth about the carbon offset industry' similar views being suggested, and in fact in some instances the Guardian suggested that the schemes were fundamentally flawed and did little or nothing to combat global warming. We have undertaken our own research into this matter and have decided to work with Climate Care to off-set some of the carbon emissions that our company generate and/or consider we are responsible for. Climate Care (www.climatecare.org) is a service that helps individuals and organisations to repair the damage they do to the climate. Through its award-winning carbon reduction projects Climate Care reduces pollution (CO2) on our behalf. Climate Care is like a repair service for damage to the climate, whilst this is admirable of course repair takes time, and is never as good as avoiding the damage in the first place. Some of the key schemes that Climate Care are involved with are detailed below: Efficient stoves in Honduras Climate Care is working in Honduras to make fuel efficient cooking stoves available in some of the poorest communities. This supports conservation by reducing the wood needed for cooking. It also benefits the householders by removing smoke from the kitchen and dramatically cutting the health risk from wood smoke. Each stove reduces carbon dioxide emissions by around 1.5 tonnes per year, compared to an open wood fire. The project is expected to save 7,000 tonnes of CO2.
Renewable power for schools in India Climate Care is funding a project to introduce school stoves that run off a new renewable fuel source, replacing stoves that use fossil fuel LPG. Crop waste is being used to make biomass briquettes for the stoves, providing an extra income to farmers. For the schools this is good news because the new renewable fuel is cheaper. The stove has also proved popular with pupils, who prefer the taste of the food! This project is expected to save 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Human powered water pumps in India Climate Care's funding is helping to expand the availability of a simple and ingenious 'treadle pump', which can be used by farmers to irrigate their crops, replacing dirty and expensive diesel pumps. Crops can be grown all year round, helping farmers to increase their yields and stay on their land all year round without having to leave to find work in the cities. Each treadle pump saves around 0.65 tonnes CO2 per year. Assessing and estimating our carbon impact is not a quick process however initially, we will off-set the carbon from our UK activities including the carbon generated during our delivery runs (whether undertaken by Tangkoko or one of our service providers). However, we are working with our key suppliers to drive this issue through our supply chain and anticipate that by the end of 2008, we will have made significant in roads into off-setting the impacts of our global activities ie furniture production in Asia and shipping to the UK. For your information, we will email you the tonnage of CO2 emissions that we will off-set for the delivery of your items, this will include both directions of the journey.