About Us > Carbon Footprint Offsetting Policy > Carbon Footprint Offsetting FAQ
Select a frequently asked question from the categorised list below, and click on it to view the answer.
Climate Change
Carbon Footprint
Carbon Reduction Measures
Reducing Carbon Emissions in the Taxicab Fleet
Carbon Offsetting
What is Climate change?
Climate change is the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today. Rising global temperatures will bring changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The effects will be felt here in the UK and internationally. The UK is acting now to adapt to climate change and to reduce the risk by reducing our contribution to the causes.
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What is the greenhouse effect?
Some of the energy from the sun is trapped inside our atmosphere as it is reflected back from the earth towards space. This natural process is called the greenhouse effect, as the atmosphere acts like the glass walls of a greenhouse, which allows the sun's rays to enter but keeps the heat in.
The gases which make this happen ("greenhouse gases") are mainly water vapour and carbon dioxide. As humans emit more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere the greenhouse effect becomes stronger. This causes the earth's climate to change unnaturally.
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What are the 6 Greenhouse Gases?
The most important greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride. These are the gases that are covered by the Kyoto Protocol.
At present, just over 7 billion tonnes of CO2 is emitted globally each year through fossil fuel use, and an additional 1.6 billion tonnes are emitted by land use change, largely by deforestation. The concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere have now reached levels unprecedented for tens of thousands of years.
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What does this mean for us?
Mean global temperatures are likely to rise between 1.1 and 6.4°C (with a best estimate of 1.8 to 4°C) above 1990 levels by the end of this century, depending on our emissions. This will result in a further rise in global sea levels of between 20 and 60cm by the end of this century, continued melting of ice caps, glaciers and sea ice, changes in rainfall patterns and intensification of tropical cyclones.
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How do we know climate change is linked to CO2 in the atmosphere?
Over the last 650,000 years the natural range for CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere has been between 180 to 300 parts per million (ppm). This data has been found through ice core surveys, where air trapped as the ice froze 100's of thousands of years ago, has been carefully analysed. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere up until 1950 had never exceeded 300ppm. The atmospheric concentrations of CO2 in 2005 was 370ppm, this far exceeds the natural range over the last 650,000 years (180 to 300 ppm) as determined from ice core surveys. Over the last 10 years, we have seen the fastest annual growth rate in the carbon dioxide concentration, since the start of direct atmospheric measurements (1960).
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What is a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide (CO2).
A carbon footprint is made up of the sum of two parts, the direct / primary footprint and the indirect / secondary footprint.
1. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation (e.g. car and plane).
2. The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use - those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown. The secondary footprint includes the energy used to manufacture items that the company may use but do not have direct control of. E.g. although a company is likely to use PCs, it would be very difficult to determine the carbon used in the manufacture and delivery process, as the end user has no visibility of control of these items.
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Who is Carbon Footprint Ltd?
Carbon Footprint Ltd is an independent company and a leading brand in the environmental sector providing a full carbon management solution. We serve national and international businesses to appraise their carbon emissions, help them to reduce these emissions, and provide a full portfolio of accredited projects to offset their impact on the environment. Carbon Footprint Ltd has a strong relationship with the national and international media including television, radio, newspapers and magazines.
The www.carbonfootprint.com website receives well over one million hits per month and is home to the leading on-line carbon footprint calculator.
In addition to offsetting carbon emissions, Dial-a-Cab is also reviewing the energy usage in their new Dial-a-Cab House building, to identify and then implement reduction measures here. Dial-a-Cab recognises that the solution to climate change must first be through reducing carbon emissions.
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What reduction measures can Dial-a-Cab staff take to reduce their emissions?
Grid Electricity usage:
- Implement a "turn it off" policy
- Turn off PCs at night and when staff are away from their desks for significant periods of the day
- Switch off PC monitors when staff are away from their desks for short periods of time
- Ensure lights are turned off at night and over the weekends when staff are out of the office
- Check printers and photocopying machines are turned off during quiet hours
- Switch off lights in meeting rooms when not in use
- Replace filament style light bulbs with energy saving lights
- Check water coolers and heaters are turned off out of hours
- Check drinks machines are turned off during out hours
Heating and Air conditioning usage:
- Turn down the heating by 1 degree Celsius
- Don't heat the building during out of hours times (e.g. the evenings and weekends)
- Ensure your boiler system is regularly maintained (can boost energy efficiency by over 20%)
- Check air-conditioning isn't conflicting with heating
- Investigate whether air-conditioning is indeed required every day of the year. Instead is it possible to simply open windows when the temperature inside is too hot?
- Turn the air-conditioning down / switch off during quiet hours
- Ensure your hot water tank is well insulated
- Check that you have 20cm depth of loft insulation
Water usage:
- Consider reducing the pressure on hot water taps to reduce wastage
- Report any dripping taps (especially hot water taps), so they can be repaired
- Checks to see if hot water systems for hot drinks (e.g. coffee and tea) are being heated during the quite hours (evenings and weekends), and if so turn them off during these periods.
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What can the drivers do to reduce emissions?
Dial-a-Cab are investigating the potential of using Biodiesel in their cab fleet
- Keep the vehicles properly serviced
- Check tyre pressure at least once a fortnight
- Avoid carrying unnecessary weight in the boot
- Plan the journey, so you don't get lost and waste fuel
- Avoid congested areas
- Try to avoid sudden acceleration, engine revving, and sudden breaking – harsh accelerating and breaking can use up to 30% more fuel and increase wear and tear of the vehicle
- Avoid using air conditioning if possible, as this uses more fuel
- Drive with the windows closed, as this reduces drag on the vehicle
- Accelerate slower
- Switch the engine off if you think you are likely to be stationary for more than 2 minutes
- When starting up, there is no need to allow the engine to warm up. It is better to just drive off
- On motorways be aware of the cars 3 or 4 ahead, and keep a good distance from the car in front to avoid unnecessary breaking
- When buying a new car looking for the most carbon efficient (i.e. with low kgCO2/km) or with a high mpg.
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What is Carbon Offsetting?
Each of our everyday actions consume energy and produce carbon dioxide emissions, e.g. taking holiday flights, driving our cars, heating or cooling our homes. Carbon Offsetting is a way of compensating for the emissions produced with an equivalent carbon dioxide saving. This is done by buying 'carbon offset' credits from emission reduction projects. Such projects will prevent / have already prevented or removed an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide elsewhere in the World. As CO2 emissions are distributed across the World, it does not matter whether you make the reduction in Manchester or Mumbai – the positive effect on the environment will be the same.
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What has Dial-a-Cab chosen as their Offset Programme?
Dial-a-Cab has decided to offset their emissions into 3 different programmes provided by Carbon Footprint. 70% is put into the clean energy Fund, 20% is put into the Kenyan Reforestation and 10% is put into UK Trees.
The Clean Energy Fund
This programme provides carbon offsetting via Carbon Footprint's handpicked portfolio of international projects that are all validated to the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS). Carbon Footprint sources only high quality international projects and consequently the exact content of the programme will vary from time to time, as new projects come on stream.
A typical example of a project that has been included in the Clean Energy Fund portfolio is a Wind Farm in India, which reduces CO2 by supplying energy to the electricity grid from renewable sources and in doing so, reduces the amount of electricity being supplied from polluting Coal fired power stations.
Kenyan Reforestation
This project is a partnership with Kenya's Escarpment Environment Conservation Network (ESCONET), geared towards sustainable rehabilitation and management of the natural forest ecosystem. When you choose this project, your business will be helping to raise funds to plant thousands of trees, provide education on sustainable land management skills and work to local communities. In this way the Kenya tree voluntary emission reduction (VER) provides environmental benefits to reduce CO2 emissions and also valuable & highly visible socio-economic benefits.
ESCONET is a Red Cross backed organisation, started in October 2004 which aims to be a leading Community-Based Organisation, mitigating against environmental degradation through rehabilitation and conservation of the natural ecosystems in the Great Rift Valley area, Kenya.
Over the past few years, the escarpment was virtually depleted by human effects / poor land management causing loss of forest vegetation cover leading to drying of springs / rivers / streams, soil erosion and emigration of wildlife/birds. The objective of the Carbon Footprint - ESCONET project is to reverse this. A great start has already been made – over 30,000 new trees were planted since April 2005 and – via our unique partnership we hope to boost this to into several 100,000s of new native trees.
The Carbon Footprint-ESCONET project provides substantial socio-economic benefits to disadvantaged communities; helping to reduce poverty, providing wildlife habitats and creating a brighter future for orphans and people living with HIV / AIDS.
Carbon Footprint Ltd has received endorsement from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for our reforestation efforts in The Great Rift Valley. All trees pledged and planted by Carbon Footprint / ESCONET are being included in the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, which aims to plant over 1 billion trees in 2007 across the globe to help avert damaging and economically debilitating climate change.
UK Trees
This tree planting project is run in partnership with Tree Appeal, a not for profit organisation. Its objective is to plant native broad leaf trees in most needy locations, helping to reduce climate change, supporting biodiversity and creating space for wildlife. Already the number of trees planted runs into 100,000s.
Trees are able to offset carbon emissions by sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and effectively act as 'carbon sinks'; this is achieved naturally as part of the photosynthesis process. The project is endorsed by the conservationist & television personality Bill Oddie.
For Dial-a-Cab, the trees will be planted in the London area, giving Dial-a-Cab an opportunity to put something back in to the area where most of the emissions are caused.
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What else can we do to reduce our impact on the environment?
We can all take small steps to reduce carbon emissions.
Firstly, calculate your own carbon footprint, so you know your personal impact on the environment. This can be done at www.carbonfootprint.com
Here's a list of simple things you can do immediately, which will start to reduce your carbon footprint and your own contribution to global warming. The items in this list will cost you no money at all and will in fact save you money.
- Sign up to a green energy supplier, who will supply electricity from renewable sources (e.g. wind and hydroelectric power) - this will reduce your carbon footprint contribution from electricity to zero
- Turn it off when not in use (lights, television, DVD player, Hi Fi, computer)
- Turn down the central heating slightly (try just 1 to 2 degrees C)
- Turn down the water heating setting (just 2 degrees will make a significant saving)
- Check the central heating timer setting - remember there is no point heating the house after you have left for work
- Fill your dish washer and washing machine with a full load - this will save you water, electricity, and washing powder
- Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need
- Unplug your mobile phone as soon as it has finished charging
- Defrost your fridge/freezer regularly
- Do your weekly shopping in a single trip
- Hang out the washing to dry rather than tumble drying it
The following is a list of items that may take an initial investment, but should pay for themselves over the course of 1-4 years through savings on your energy bills.
- Fit energy saving light bulbs (you can save up to £10 a year in electricity costs, buy replacing just one bulb)
- Install thermostatic valves on your radiators
- Insulate your hot water tank, your loft and your walls
- 35% of heat generated in the house is lost through the walls. Installing cavity wall installation to a medium size house could reduce your heating bills by up to £100 per year
- By installing 180mm thick loft insulation you could stop about 25% of your heating escaping through the roof
- Replace your old fridge / freezer (if it is over 15 years old), with a new one with energy efficiency rating of "A"
- Replace your old boiler with a new energy efficient condensing boiler
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