Chris and Ingrid Tarrant launch 'Power to Plant' campaign

14 August 2003

Chris and Ingrid TarrantEcotricity and Future Forests' scheme to encourage people to go green

A new campaign that will help people combat climate change is launched today by two of the UK's leading environmental businesses, Ecotricity and Future Forests.

The 'Power to Plant' campaign offers simple, practical and affordable ways individuals and families can take action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, for example switching to green electricity with Ecotricity as well as neutralising existing greenhouse gas emissions through Future Forests.

To support and launch the campaign celebrity couple Chris and Ingrid Tarrant have undergone an assessment of their home and travel patterns to calculate just how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases they produce and contribute to the problem annually. 'Power to Plant' has given them steps to reduce the 49 tonnes they create per year.

The first step is to switch from their current electricity supplier to Ecotricity, who produce electricity from green sources. When they have taken as many steps to reduce their emissions as possible, they will neutralise the rest through one of Future Forests' forestry projects.

Chris Tarrant, comments, "Everyone is aware of global warming but few of us actually realise how all these greenhouse gases are created. It's shocking to recognise that we're all responsible but great to know we can do something that isn't going to break the bank or mean a radical change in lifestyle."

The campaign promotes two simple steps to consumers to reduce their carbon dioxide footprint:
Cut emissions! We all use electricity and it's the biggest contributor to climate change. But we can do something about it. By switching to Ecotricity you can ensure more energy is produced from non-polluting renewable sources and cut the level of fossil fuel emissions. It costs the same as normal electricity and it's easy to switch - no need for any new cables or meters.

Reabsorb emissions! Future Forests has been involved in creating more than 90 new indigenous forests around the world. Trees help fight global warming by naturally absorbing carbon dioxide and are a way in which you can balance out unavoidable emissions created by driving cars and taking flights. These forests create new green places but improve biodiversity and provide a natural haven for wildlife.

Every customer who switches to Ecotricity will have a tree planted on their behalf.

As a direct result of the campaign, Ecotricity will continue to build new wind energy and solar power projects to generate new clean power for its customers, and Future Forests will educate and encourage people to take steps to reduce and offset their emissions.

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Notes to Editors -

Press enquiries contact: Richard Tibenham on T: 01453 769 326 or email: richard.tibenham@ecotricity.co.uk

Ecotricity

  • Ecotricity is the only licensed electricity company dedicated to building urgently needed new green energy capacity to replace conventional polluting sources of electricity.
  • Ecotricity founded the world's first green energy market in 1996.
  • Ecotricity is one of the UK's leading wind power developers.
  • Ecotricity is the UK's leading green electricity supplier and invests its profits into building new sources of non-polluting energy.
  • Ecotricity has won various major environmental awards including the Queen's Award for Environmental Achievement 2000 and the Millennium Product 2000.
  • Ecotricity supplies many leading ethical organisations, including The Body Shop, The Co-operative Bank and WWF-UK

Future Forests

  • Future Forests is one of Europe's leading climate change businesses, helping companies and the public take action on climate change. Future Forests calculates the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by various activities and provides "offsets" to balance this out, and make that activity CarbonNeutral®.
  • Included within the pricing of Future Forests products and services are independent monitoring and verification, contracts with carbon offset partners to protect customers and the carbon promise, insurances of the carbon promise. Where a forestry solution is included this covers the forestry for a 99 year period.
  • Future Forests' CarbonNeutral® symbol can be applied to a wide variety of client operations, products or services. The symbol signals to staff, customers and the public that best practice carbon offset projects have been undertaken.
  • 'Gold standard' offset projects remove CO2 emissions in ways that protect and enhance the natural environment, whilst supporting the socio-economic development of the societies in which they are established.
  • Future Forests' clients number over 170 businesses and organisations including the UN, World Economic Bank, Swiss Re, Barclays Bank Plc, Norwich & Peterborough Building Society, Hilton Hotels and the RAC; 40,000+ members of the public; and a growing number of celebrities. Anyone undertaking a programme with Future Forests does so on a voluntary basis.
  • The Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management (ECCM) is a specialist team of scientists and advisors in carbon management to government and industry. ECCM works with Future Forests to undertake emissions assessment and to conduct regular inspection of all planting sites to calculate potential levels of carbon sequestration per hectare planted. To add an additional layer of transparency, Future Forests has recently appointed KPMG to review the systems by which the company operates and to verify all aspects of the 'carbon management chain'.
  • Future Forests planting partners include the Community Forests, The Wildlife Trust, plus a portfolio of professional forestry organisations and estates. Future Forests plant trees at over 90 sites across the UK, USA, Mexico and India. All sites are open to the public.