It has become painfully apparent in recent years (and prior!) that action needs to be taken in regards to the climate situation. We have always taken steps to reduce the amount of carbon that we produce, and over the years we have tried to implement more and more policies to improve this. Carbon neutral events are now possible, and we want to play our part instead of turning a blind eye. We recently teamed up with Climate Partner to make all of our events carbon neutral as of 2021. This means that our part in your event, including delivery and maintenance of the tents, is completely carbon neutral!
Carbon Neutral Events with Climate Partner
Carbon neutrality means that the carbon footprint of a company, product, service or event has been calculated on the basis of internationally recognised standards and fully offset by supporting certified carbon offset projects.
ClimatePartner’s label “carbon neutral” certifies that residual greenhouse gas emissions have been offset. For the sake of legibility, all emissions are referred to as CO2 emissions and measured in tonnes of CO2. By this, we mean CO2 equivalents, i. e. all relevant greenhouse gases.
Offsetting CO2 emissions is an important step in effective climate action, alongside avoidance and reduction. ClimatePartner recommends companies establish and act on CO2 avoidance and reduction plans as a continuous process, and supports them in corresponding strategies. For example, by supporting in defining science based reduction targets, or switching to renewable energy.
Forest Protection, Colombia
As the biggest REDD+ Project in Colombia this initiative protects 1,150,200 hectares of tropical forests, safeguarding its biodiversity. It provides education, healthcare, sanitation, food security, nutrition, and further social benefits for 16,000 indigenous people. The project works hand-in-hand with the communities to constantly inform and train them, improve living conditions and promote sustainable economic growth.
Benefits of this project include:
- 8,000 women will have access to health services and improved access to drinking water,
- 5,000 indigenous members of the community will receive training / acquire skills and apply their new knowledge in the management of the territory of the indigenous reserve, including 2,000 women
- 17 endangered animal species will be protected from extinction (13 birds + 4 mammals)
To find out more about this project, click here.
Clean Drinking Water, Sierra Leone
Our carbon offset project is helping communities in the Kono region to restore 57 wells. In cooperation with the local population, damaged wells are repaired and regularly maintained, which secures the regional water supply. The availability of clean drinking water eliminates the need to boil water, saving an average of 10,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
Benefits of this project include:
- 65% of women are using time saved from water collection on education, training or earning a living
- 66% reduction in the number of cases of water-borne diseases
- 15,920 people have gained access to safe water
To find out more about this project, click here.
For our events in 2021, we have offset 35,408 kg of CO2 – to put this into perspective, it is equivalent to the carbon footprint of:
- 3.5 UK people for a year
- 100,000 kg of wood
- 16,000 bottles of wine
Our Actions To Achieve Carbon Neutral Events
At Elite Tents, we do not believe that simply paying someone to offset our carbon is enough. We also take steps to reduce the amount of carbon we produce in the first place. This is something we have tried to improve over our years of running events.
When we first began hiring tents, tipi companies were spread thinly across the country (we were the very first in the midlands!). This meant travelling further to clients as we had a bigger area to cover. Nowadays there are a lot more companies to choose from. Because of this we decided to limit our delivery distance. This allows us to achieve better customer service, but also reduces the amount of carbon we create through delivery! We encourage people to use a tipi company in their local area as there are plenty of excellent companies in operation now.
We recycle and upcycle wherever possible, just take a look at our accessories brochure to see our vintage chesterfield sofas, 1920s trunks and other quirky accessories.
Our warehouses and all of our tents use low wattage bulbs. Our tents can actually run off a single 13amp plug! In 2021, Elite Tents introduced a scheme to offer all full time members of staff an electric vehicle. This aimed to reduce the carbon footprint of our staff. Commuting to work can create a lot of unnecessary carbon which as an employer we want to minimise.
Keep an eye on our Planning Hub and Social media for tips on how to create carbon neutral events through other aspects!
