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OFFICIAL MEMBERSHIP PACK THE FUEL STORE’S CLEAN AIR PARTNERSHIP
OFFICIAL MEMBERSHIP PACK
THE FUEL STORE’S CLEAN AIR PARTNERSHIP
Welcome to the
THE FUEL STORE CLEAN AIR PARTNERSHIP
“YOU ARE ONE OF MANY PARTNERSHIP MEMBERS, AND TOGETHER YOU WILL PLANT THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF
TREES IN NEW WOODLANDS AROUND THE COUNTRY EACH YEAR.” Forest Carbon project near Dumfries, planted in 2007.
Your membership of the Partnership will enable the capture of CO2 through the planting and management of trees in new woodlands.
New woodlands capture CO2 – the main cause of climate change. They will also help us to adapt to a changing climate by helping to reduce flooding. On top of this they offer a host of other benefits to us all – cleaner air and rivers, sustainable timber, green space for people and nature, employment creation.
The Fuel Store and Forest Carbon set up the partnership because experience told us that many companies wanted to do more about their environmental footprint, but just lacked the time to look into it further, or the resource to commission a full carbon footprint assessment.
The Partnership makes it simple, and doing something about this has got to be better than doing nothing.
Forests could mitigate 10% of UK footprint by 2050 if we can triple our rate of
planting. There’s plenty of space, we are one of Europe’s least forested countries.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Benefits of your
CARBON ACTION
There is plentiful research to show that just being near a woodland, let alone visiting
one, is good for health and wellbeing.
Around 45% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings, and greater use of timber can turn those sources into a
store by replacing concrete and steel.
GREEN SPACES SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTIONIn the UK there are 40,000 forestry related jobs, and we estimate that
carbon action, like that of Club members, has the potential to add a further 10,000.
JOB CREATION
“NOT EVERY WOODLAND DOES EVERYTHING ON THIS LIST, BUT THEY ALL DO SOME OF THEM.”
FLOOD MITIGATIONWithout action floods could cost the UK £12bn/yr by 2080 and affect 3.6m homes. Woodlands
are a cost effective means of preventing downstream flooding by reducing the volume
of water reaching watercourses, and by slowing the flow of the rest of the water.
Globally only around 33% of timber comes from sustainable sources, meaning the rest comes from felling vital old growth forests.
Any Carbon Club forests that have a productive element help protect these forests elsewhere.
FOREST PROTECTIONThe UK is the world’s second largest
importer of timber – we estimate that actions like those of Club members have
the potential to save £1bn in imports.
Planting alongside watercourses reduces run-off agricultural pollution, keeping rivers
cleaner and aiding biodiversity. Planting near roads rids the air of particulate matter.
BALANCE OF TRADE CLEANER AIR AND WATER
One of the quickest ways to reduce emissions is to cut down on business travel - use conference
call or video-conferencing services where possible. It’s also worth considering flexible work
arrangements, such as working from home, which would reduce commuting time and carbon emissions, and incentives for things like car pools.
Turning the thermostat down by just 1°C can have a big impact on your carbon footprint,
not to mention your bills. It’s also worth keeping the heating at a consistent but lower level – it can use less energy for a better result
than big blasts of heat. Get to know how thermostats and timers work, and discourage
people from tampering with them.
MANAGE THE HEATING CUT DOWN ON TRAVEL
It’s not just paper that could be re-cycled, it’s lots of other stuff too. IT kit, plastic
components, and used office furniture. If you keep recycling bins around the place
it will encourage recycling.
RECYCLE THINGSYou may find there’s little or no need to print things any more, but if you do need to print, try to switch
to double-sided and re-use one-sided copies for drafts and notepads. Recycling is one of the simplest ways to reduce your carbon footprint immediately.
PAPER
“SMALL CHANGES CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE WHEN IT COMES TO REDUCING BUSINESS CARBON FOOTPRINT. IT MAKES SENSE TO DO
THESE THINGS IN ANY CASE – ALL THESE RESOURCES COST MONEY.”
Encourage colleagues to bring their energy-saving habits from home to work. You can also make the most of computers’ power
management options and set them to shut down automatically - a single computer left to operate all day can produce 0.67 tonnes CO2/year (you’d need to plant 2 or 3 trees a year to make up for that). Motion sensitive lights is another option.
TURN THINGS OFF
Your Carbon
FOOTPRINT
All of Forest Carbon’s new woodlands are certified under the government’s Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) – developed by the Forestry Commission.
This means independently verified projects, certified to ISO14064 standard, that offer real social and environmental benefits.
Certification under the Code leads to the issuance of carbon credits. These are listed on the world leading Markit Registry, ensuring transparency on ownership and certification status. All credits issued because of Carbon Club members will be cancelled immediately in the name of the Club, meaning they can never be re-used.
The WCC is the only standard of its kind in the UK; it means you can be sure that:
• The right trees have been planted, in the right place;
• The carbon capture estimates for the trees are scientifically sound and project specific;
• Good practice and long term protection are in place, and woodlands will be monitored and re-certified;
• Your Carbon Club membership was critical to the project proceeding.
Forest Carbon’s community woodland on the edge of Boston in Lincolnshire, planted in 2016.
Knowledge
BASEThe UK and Climate ChangeThere is no doubt that the planet is warming up: the first decade of this century was the warmest since records began in 1850, 0.2°C warmer than the preceding one (1991-2000) - itself warmer than any before it. Disrupted by this warming, weather patterns have been replaced by nasty surprises: unexpected floods, temperature extremes, storms and unusual drought.
Here in the UK the government completed its UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) in 2012, and updated it in 2017. It contains an overview of national risks to 2100. The CCRA identifies flooding as the greatest threat to the UK posed by climate change, with up to 3.6 million people at risk by the middle of the century.
“ALTHOUGH SYCAMORE IS AN ACER AND NOT CLOSELY RELATED TO PLANTS IN THE
PLATANUS GENUS, THE LEAVES ARE SUPERFICIALLY SIMILAR.”
- SYCAMORE TREE
“THE NEEDLES ON YOUNG TREES GROW LONGER THAN THOSE ON OLDER TREES.”- SCOTS PINE TREE
Knowledge
BASE“SILVER BIRCH HAVE A LIGHT, OPEN CANOPY, PROVIDING THE PERFECT CONDITIONS FOR GRASSES, MOSSES, WOOD ANEMONE, BLUEBELLS, WOOD SORREL AND VIOLETS TO GROW.”- SILVER BIRCH TREE
“ACORNS ARE NOT PRODUCED UNTIL THE OAK TREE IS AT LEAST 40 YEARS OLD.”
- OAK TREE
Other issues highlighted by the CCRA report include:
• Increases in summer heat mortality;
• Changes in wildlife migration;
• Alterations in species communities as plants and animals fail to move fast enough to thrive;
• Threats to food production;
• Erosion from heavier rains;
• Weather related threats to infrastructure and business locations;
• Loss of working-time from heat stress;
• Changes in fish stocks;
• Wildfires in drier summers.
The CCRA also concludes that, for the next 30 years at least, climate change is ‘locked in’. This makes woodland creation all the more important in both helping to adapt to the new climate, and in reducing climate change beyond the next 30 years.
Knowledge
BASEThe UK is a world leader in climate policy and action:
• Climate Change Act and amendment – UK is the first major economy to commit to being Net Zero on carbon emissions, by 2050
• Natural Capital Committee – reports directly to the Treasury on the state of nature in the UK and its impact on the economy
• World’s first Green Investment Bank
• UK Climate Change Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Programme
• UK second only to the US in terms of total voluntary carbon market spend by businesses
• Home to Europe’s largest Sustainable and Responsible Investment Market, second only to US globally
• Recently published 25 year Environment Plan is very ambitious on developing the UK carbon market, and specifies a role for woodlands and peatlands
• Independent Committee on Climate Change - established under the Climate Change Act and plays an important role in holding the government to account on its performance
• Devolved administrations able to take action on climate change
The Clean Growth Strategy
UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017
Climate Change Act 2008 An independent assessment of the UK’s Clean Growth Strategy
A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment
Climate Change PlanThe Third Report on Proposals
and Policies 2018 - 2019
Each carbon credit represents 1 tonne of atmospheric carbon dioxide which has been avoided or captured. It is bought by an entity wanting to reduce its carbon footprint, and it is sold to them by an entity implementing a project somewhere else that will reduce or capture carbon dioxide emissions. There are other greenhouse gases, all are converted to their equivalent in carbon dioxide to keep the accounting simple.
There are two types of carbon credit transaction: compliance and voluntary. Compliance transactions occur when an entity is under some sort of statutory requirement to act, such as heavy industry sectors that are part of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Voluntary transactions occur when the buyers are under no such obligation, as is the case with the vast majority of business in the UK. Forest Carbon partners are acting voluntarily.
Talking about carbon credits involves us in a complicated mix of science, economics, politics, business and the simple desire for a cleaner world. The important thing to know is that the buying and selling of such credits collectively brings about the development and use of greener technology and the creation or preservation of native forests and other natural resources.
Carbon Credits and Offsetting‘Carbon credits’ are used in carbon markets in the global effort to reduce world pollution. The principles that underpin carbon credits are enshrined in the Kyoto Protocol.
Knowledge
BASE
“EACH CARBON CREDIT REPRESENTS 1 TONNE OF ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE WHICH HAS BEEN AVOIDED OR CAPTURED.”
‘CARBON CREDITS’ ARE USED IN CARBON MARKETS IN THE GLOBAL EFFORT TO
REDUCE WORLD POLLUTION.
In Forest Carbon’s case we develop woodland creation schemes for carbon capture.
When our partners pay for the planting of a certain area of new woodland they are in fact paying for the removal from the atmosphere of a certain number of 1-tonne units of CO2 (or in effect therefore buying a certain number of ‘carbon credits’). These ‘credits’ are not traded further by our buyers, they are instead ‘retired’ (ie cancelled against the emissions the buyer was seeking to capture) and serve only to register the amount of CO2 removal a buyer has sponsored.
Carbon Credits and Offsetting
Knowledge
BASE
What is it all about?
What’s different about UK woodland carbon credits?
Forest Carbon enables the planting of otherwise non-viable new woodlands in the UK through generating investment in Woodland Carbon Code certified credits arising from those woodlands.
Woodland creation generates multiple benefits for society: habitat for biodiversity, flood mitigation, air and water purification, employment, and social and health benefits. Unlike other types of carbon credits, which come from projects outside the UK, with Woodland Carbon Code credits all the extra benefits arise here.
What is the Woodland Carbon Code?
The Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) is the government’s quality assurance standard for carbon funded woodland creation projects in the UK; certification to this standard provides assurance and clarity about the carbon savings of these sustainably managed woodlands, and of their additionality (see below). It is the only UK-based activity and standard for corporate carbon mitigation supported by the government.
We support new planting of native or productive woods, conifer or broadleaf, with sizes ranging from 5 acres to 500 acres. Our top 6 trees are Birch, Oak, Scots pine, Alder, Rowan and Spruce.
Companies that seek to compensate, voluntarily, for their CO2 emissions. Most businesses take their carbon footprint as a starting point, and either try to mitigate all of it, or focus on a specific element of it - for example head office, or fleet, or a particular product or service - as a starting point.
Woodland owners agree to replant any trees lost through natural causes. Before projects are implemented carbon capture projections are reduced by a buffer (40%) and this reduces the risk to both woodland owner and carbon buyer as the woodland is likely to achieve at least as much carbon capture as was predicted.
What kind of woods do you plant?
Who is else buying woodland carbon credits, and why?
What if the wood under-performs?
This means that the project would not be able to proceed without the contribution of Carbon Club members through their investment in the woodland’s carbon credits. You can be sure your membership was critical in making sure the trees were planted.
What is “additionality”?
Our
FAQ’s
What if my actual footprint is higher than my Club membership level?
What if my actual footprint is lower than my Club membership level?
What are a landowner’s responsibilities?
How did you come up with the Club membership levels?
The Markit Registry is the world’s leading registry for voluntary carbon credits, and serves as a public platform where Woodland Carbon Code credits are listed. It shows who owns credits and which woodlands they came from. All Carbon Club credits will be shown on this registry.
Principally these are to manage the wood according to the UK Forestry Standard for the duration of the contract, replace any losses, and adhere to the management plan agreed at the outset. If the land is transferred to another owner they must accept the terms of the carbon contract, otherwise the divesting owner must supply unused Woodland Carbon Code credits from elsewhere.
We used the UK government Greenhouse Gas conversion tables, which tell you the footprint for pretty much anything a business might do.
If you are worried about this we can supply you with our footprint calculator – free – to complete your own assessment. But in the meantime, you can work on the basis that, when it comes to climate change, doing something now is a lot better than doing something later. If your footprint is higher, you’re still doing something you weren’t doing last year, and something most other businesses aren’t doing.
Think of it as a gift to everyone else.
We realised, from our experience with other smaller and medium businesses, two things: that there was a strong interest in taking action on carbon footprints, and that measuring your footprint each year is time consuming (gathering all the data) and can be expensive (if you pay someone else to do it). We decided to do it the other way round – describe some activities and expenditure, and let businesses pick the one that was roughly like them from the menu.
How do we know who owns the carbon credits?
Who has Forest Carbon worked with?
How did you calculate the footprints for each level?
Our
FAQ’s
Forest Carbon corporate partners include Microsoft, Ecology Building Society, ICAP, Allstar, Foster + Partners, CGI Group, Sweaty Betty, Clearabee, Reflex Group, Fresh Start, Melba Swintex, Nex Group, Antalis, Nationwide, M&S, BWOC, Sofa.Com, The CarbonNeutral Company, Kier, Mid Group, The Green Investment Bank, Redhills, Kwik Fit, Stagecoach, Toyota, The Green Insurance Company, Ford, Thrifty, and Hertz. Forest Carbon planting partners include Buccleuch Woodlands, Lake District National Park, The National Forest, Tweed Forum, Central Scotland Green Network, Borders Forest Trust, the Crown Estate, the National Trust and the Woodland Trust.
Get in
CONTACT
0121 272 7780
If you would like to find out more information or discuss any aspect of our work just give us a ring, drop us a line or keep up to date with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Forest Carbon’s project at Minnowburn, south of Belfast.
