EAUC select ClimateCare to offset their carbon emissions

As part of the EAUC’s approach to taking responsibility for our impact on the environment, we have partnered with Climate and Development experts ClimateCare to offset our carbon emissions.

In December 2013, we launched our new sustainability policy, in which we upped the ante to take our mission to the widest and highest level possible and build a stronger support base. Sustainability is often now restricted to the environmental aspects of performance but by more explicitly including our ethical behaviour, links to labour and other human rights issues and the wider impacts we make on society (positive and negative), we build a wider and stronger alliance.

We always look for ways to extend our policy so carbon offsetting was the natural next step. We chose ClimateCare because they are a world leader in the carbon offset market, have won numerous prestigious awards for their projects and our money is invested in projects which not only cut carbon but also improve lives in the areas they operate, like their Lifestraw Carbon for Water project which is helping to bring clean water to 4.5m people in Kenya. In addition, all the projects we support through ClimateCare are Gold Standard or Voluntary Carbon Standard certified.

We have opted to offset our total calculated annual carbon emissions as reported in our Annual Report each year. In 2013, this was 14 tonnes.

“As a responsible organisation, one of the aims of our Sustainability Policy is reduce our carbon footprint. We aim to achieve this goal by promoting efficient usage and recycling of resources, by reducing travel or choosing more sustainable options when travel is unavoidable, and through educating and raising awareness in our staff. However, we are unable to lower our carbon footprint to zero as some travel is essential to our business and some use of energy is unavoidable in running our office and equipment.

Therefore, because we wish to minimise our impact as much as possible, we have opted to offset our annual carbon emissions with ClimateCare. Whilst not absolving us of our responsibility to continue to strive to reduce our carbon footprint, carbon offsetting is an internationally recognised way to take responsibility for unavoidable carbon emissions and we see it as an important tool in our efforts to become carbon neutral.” Fiona Goodwin, Head of Membership.

Read the EAUC’s sustainability policy in full at www.eauc.org.uk/eauc_governance
Find out more about ClimateCare at www.climatecare.org/