Trust Corporation first local firm to offer staff carbon offset scheme
TRUST Corporation International has worked with ESI Monitor to become the first business in Guernsey to carbon offset the impact of all its employees’ vehicles.
ESI Monitor, the local environmental and social impact monitoring consultancy, launched the carbon offset plus scheme earlier this year with the aim to offset 10,000 tonnes of CO2 produced by local motorists a year and raise more than £100,000 to support local biodiversity.
Trust Corporation has supported the initiative by identifying which employees travelled to work by car and categorising the vehicles by size (small, medium or large) and what fuel they use (petrol, diesel or a hybrid). The independent trust company’s 50 staff were then asked to estimate their annual mileage to calculate the CO2 emissions.
The cost of the offset pays for the firm’s environmentally friendly projects both locally and in developing countries, where the aim is to bring down emissions as economies grow.
‘Carbon emissions are one of the primary causes of climate change and one that we have control over, we can easily make small changes to make our carbon footprint smaller.
‘Living on a beautiful island like Guernsey, we are encouraged to do something that is in our control to reduce our impact on the environment,’ said Mort Mirghavameddin, chief executive officer of Trust Corporation International.
‘We are now all proudly displaying our windscreen badges, which will hopefully encourage others to participate in this great scheme.
‘We’re very pleased that many of our employees have taken our stance to heart and have purchased electric bikes to enjoy their commute on two wheels.’
Trust Corporation is working with the Guernsey Voluntary Service this year and will also cover the cost of offsetting the charity’s fleet of vehicles.
