Planet-loving businesses can now easily offset the impact of carbon emissions from their vehicles through the planting of new trees for the UK or abroad.
Tree-V enables environmentally-friendly firms to mitigate their carbon ‘tyreprint’ by calculating the emissions of their fleets, commuters, or even attendees at events. This is then offset through the planting of new trees in the UK, or the maintenance of established forests around the world.
The idea started when the Worthington family from Coventry decided to buy their first classic car, but were struggling to balance their love of heritage motors with a love of the environment; Tree-V means they can cherish both at the same time.
Tom Worthington, who runs the business with his wife, Gemma, and mother-in-law Amanda Bourne, said: “We found that there were many excellent schemes around that allow us to offset our entire carbon footprint, but in order to get an accurate carbon usage figure, there is a considerable amount of work required.
“We knew our classic car would be a luxury, an unnecessary carbon emitter, and calculating the carbon should be relatively easy as it would be based on miles driven. We wanted to achieve a quick win by offsetting just our classic car by itself, without having to calculate the carbon from every aspect of our lives, in order to get started.”
They teamed up with tree planting partner, Forest Carbon, to ensure that every mile driven is ‘carbon captured’ through the planting of new woodland in the UK, or offset through the maintenance and development of established forests around the world.
Forest Carbon projects have removed almost 2.5million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere through the planting of more than 9.5 million new trees since 2006. They are assured by the UK
Government’s Woodland Carbon Code and the IUCN’s Peatland Code and also work closely with national and international companies to help them capture carbon on mass.
The carbon calculator works out the cost of offsetting in less time than it takes to top up the oil, using just miles per gallon, annual mileage and whether the vehicle is petrol or diesel.
As well as classic and prestige cars, including the new addition to the Worthington family – Myrtle the Morris Minor – Tree-V has now grown to cover a wide range of vehicles, from everyday drivers to business and commercial vehicles.
Tom said: “Obviously the ultimate goal is for all vehicles to be electric, but we are some time off that yet and fossil fuel-powered cars will still be around for many years to come. Carbon offsetting is something that everyone can do right now to turn their miles green. Every mile counts in the fight against climate change.
“For example, carbon offsetting costs £8.50 per tonne (the average family car emits two-three tonnes per year) and carbon capture costs £15 per tonne.
“A fleet of 10 vans travelling 10,000 miles each per year could cost as little as £450 for the year depending on the make and model.
“This is great for businesses who want to demonstrate their commitment to the fight against climate change, as it’s a quick win for you, your customers and the environment. Many consumers now look for companies who share their ethics where the environment is concerned. Offsetting carbon emissions in this way is an easy and affordable way to start helping the planet, today.”
For more information, visit www.tree-v.com