Net Zero - Our First Project We are Supporting

We’re excited to announce that the projects we’re supporting to offset our carbon emissions for 2021 are now underway.  

We have worked with Carbon Footprint to choose three projects to offset our 153 tonnes of CO_2, each of which we felt really engaged with and were keen to support. 

 We’re really pleased to be working with Upenergy’s improved cookstove project in Uganda. As estate agents, the idea of helping people improve their homes and living situations felt like a really good fit with what we do on a daily basis. Whether your home is in Newbury or Nansana, we believe that everyone has the right to a comfortable and efficient home environment.  

This project not only helps people across Uganda save time and money whilst reducing environmental impact, but it also meets the standards of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals 7, 8 and 13: Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Climate Action.   

Since it was founded, UpEnergy has served over 125,000 Ugandans and 19,133 stoved have been distributed to date. The stoves primarily replace the traditional three-stone fires resulting in considerable environmental impact and the benefits are:

-        30,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided

-        over 120,000 trees saved so far

-        households with the new stoves save several hours per day through reduced time needed for cooking and fuel collection, and those who purchase fuel save $72 per year

   

Perhaps the most compelling impact on the individual level comes from the income-generating opportunities this project offers the UpEnergy retailers and sales agents. For example, Aaron Okello is a motorcycle taxi driver-turned stove salesman whose life was completely transformed due to income from working with UpEnergy. Aaron was able to relocate his wife and three children from northern Uganda to the city, rent suitable housing for the entire family and pay school fees for all of his children - an important step towards recognition and

 All projects supported by Carbon Footprint are monitored by the Quality Assurance Standard (QAS) for Carbon Offsetting, of which Carbon Footprint was a Founding Member. The Quality Assurance Standard is a comprehensive independent audit system for companies wishing to become carbon neutral through carbon reduction. QAS-approved products are checked against a 40 point checklist to ensure they meet the very highest standards in the world. Organisations like IATA, The United Nations PRI and Qatar Airways put their trust in the QAS to ensure their environmental credibility is beyond doubt.