Durrell News

Durrell ECO-ACTIVE Carbon Offset Scheme Launched

20^th May 2009

A new scheme which allows individuals and businesses to offset their carbon emissions has been launched today by Durrell and ECO-ACTIVE in Jersey.

The scheme is being run by Durrell in partnership with ECO-ACTIVE, the States of Jersey’s community environmental initiative. It offers people a way to reduce the carbon impact of their lifestyles by paying for the planting of trees in Brazil’s devastated Atlantic rainforest.

Carbon offsetting is a credible and popular way to compensate for the carbon emissions created by our 21st century lifestyles. The scheme makes it very simple for people to buy their offsets online, at Durrell’s website or ECO-ACTIVE online.

The trees, planted by a Brazilian organisation called IPE (Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicos) have been calculated to offset 318 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per hectare planted, over the project’s 30 year lifespan. Durrell has worked with IPE for a number of years and key members of the organisation have been to Jersey as students of Durrell’s International Training Centre.

The Durrell ECO-ACTIVE Carbon Offset scheme provides more than just carbon benefits. As well as capturing CO2, the trees are planted in such a way as to create corridors between isolated pockets of rainforest that allow wildlife, including Durrell’s black lion tamarin, to travel further, thus expanding their ranges and enabling them to increase their genetic diversity. In addition, the local community is employed to grow the trees, as well as plant and monitor the projects. The project also provides employment in an area with high levels of poverty.

The carbon offset scheme will be an important new source of revenue for Durrell, enabling supporters of the Trust to aspire to a carbon neutral lifestyle whilst also providing funds for the organisation’s ongoing efforts to save species from extinction.

Paul Masterton, CEO of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, said: “The Durrell ECO-ACTIVE Carbon Offset scheme is a fantastic new opportunity for Durrell, which clearly conveys the meaning of sustainability to a wide audience. By using Durrell ECO-ACTIVE offsets to reduce the carbon emissions of our businesses and 21st century lifestyles, we are making a real difference on a number of fronts: environmental, ecological and social, as well as providing financial support to Durrell.

”Over the coming year, we hope to have the scheme officially verified by third parties and will also be looking to develop some of Durrell’s own wildlife projects which can benefit from co-ordinated tree-planting.”

Senator Freddie Cohen, Jersey's Minister for Planning and the Environment, said: "Islanders have shown their earnest desire to respond to the issues of climate change in a practical way. The Council of Ministers and myself wholeheartedly endorse the Durrell ECO-ACTIVE carbon offset scheme to benefit the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest and the States of Jersey will be taking a lead and using the scheme to offset carbon arising from business travel. I urge all environmentally conscious people to give consideration to supporting this worthy initiative."

People wanting to offset their carbon emissions through the Durrell ECO-ACTIVE scheme should follow this link to Carbon Offsets or www.eco-active.je. Businesses that would like to take part in the scheme should contact Kirsten Morel at Durrell on +44 (0)1534 860038 or email kirsten.morel@durrell.org.
 

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