Plant trees to offset carbon in the Vale

The UK Government's Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched a new Quality Assurance Scheme for carbon offsetting. AVDC has taken this concept and focused it locally to plant trees within the district which will comply with the concepts of the ‘Carbon Reduction 09 initiative’.

Working in partnership with a project set up by the sustainability team, as a trial, income for future tree planting projects will be generated for AVDC using Yahoo as its official search engine on our home page. Financial contributions will then be paid to us by Yahoo for official sites visited when using this link when carrying out a search on the internet.

Projects are likely to be focused on the replanting of native black poplars and oak trees within the district. We will work with partner organisations, volunteers and contractors to ensure trees planted are established for future generations to enjoy. Income is expected to be in the region of £10k per annum but this will depend on how many people use this link to carry out searches. Please can you help with this initiative by using this link which will generate money for us to carry out future tree planting within our district?

Under the government's National Indicator 186, local authorities are encouraged to raise awareness and support carbon emission reduction strategies for the local area.

Planting trees is one of the easiest ways to offset your carbon footprint. Trees absorb carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and wood, both of which are very useful for humans and other animals.

carbon dioxide + water + light energy → carbohydrate + oxygen + water

This process:

• Offsets CO2 emissions
• Provides wildlife habitats
• Assists planting of native British trees
• Enhances the natural UK landscape  

Each tree planted "offsets" your environmental impact by "breathing" in about 1 tonne of CO2 emissions over its lifetime. It is estimated that the average person needs to save about 7 tonnes of CO2 per year. So an ongoing programme of planting new trees is one strategy for delaying the effects of global warming and buying time to develop technologies and adapt our lifestyles to the consequences of climate change. The trees also replenish sustainable habitat for wildlife and will enhance the natural landscape with native trees. Should you have any questions relating to this initiative or wish to propose sites for future tree planting, please contact the sustainability team leader.

Date Updated: 08/07/09