Making your holiday more environmentally friendly

Have you booked your summer holiday?
If not, consider holidaying closer to home than you usually do and try to avoid flying at all. If you do fly (and even if you don’t!) you can offset your carbon emissions. This can be done through Climate Stewards, set up by A Rocha to help you minimise the effect of your CO₂ emissions through offsetting. Visit www.climatestewards.net . We would strongly urge you to watch the video clip and hear what Nicky Gumbel has to say about the scheme.

What is carbon offsetting?
Carbon offsetting is “a compensatory measure made by an individual or company for the carbon emissions (green house gases) that they use, usually through sponsoring activities or projects which increase carbon dioxide absorption, such as tree planting” We cause carbon emissions when we drive, fly, cook, heat and light our homes . How does ‘Climate Stewards’ offset emissions? A Rocha’s charity, Climate Stewards, offsets emissions by planting trees in Ghana. Trees absorb CO2 as they grow. Working with schools and communities to plant indigenous trees means that their work also improves livelihoods and restores biodiversity. You can read more about ‘Why Ghana?’ on their website. www.climatestewards.net

What are Greenhouse gases?
Greenhouse gases act like a greenhouse to trap heat within the atmosphere. The primary greenhouse gases are water vapour (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and ozone (O3). Without these gases, the earth would be too cold to be inhabitable.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas, accounting for 83% of UK emissions. It is a by-product of burning fossil fuels, burning biomass and other industrial processes. The concentration of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 40% (from 280 parts per million (ppm) to 400 ppm) since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 1750s.

How you can help

Make a donation

£15 will allow Climate Stewards to plant enough trees to remove one tonne of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Offset your carbon use:

£25 will offset driving 5,000 miles in a medium sized car.
(1.7 tonnes of CO2)

£50 will offset 1 year of electricity and gas usage for an average UK household
(3.2 tonnes of CO2)

£75 will offset a flight from London to New York
(5.0 tonnes of CO2)

You can use Climate Stewards online calculator to calculate your own carbon footprint. And read about how they arrived at their figures. You can also see how they spend their money here.

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” Edmund Burke (1729-1797), English parliamentarian, philosopher and ethicist.

Do let us know what you think about these blog entries, and how you feel about St James aiming to become an 'eco-congregation', what would you like to change? Please enter your comments in the section below.