The Green Team
Our in-house eco warriors
At African Adventures, we are so committed to minimising our carbon footprint and reducing the amount of waste we produce that we have written our environmental aims into our business development plan. This makes us accountable and guides our decision-making on a day-to-day basis. Our staff are passionate about the planet and finding ways to minimise our footprint. With that in mind, we’re pleased to introduce you to our eco-warriors – the Green Team!
Our Plan
Offset all carbon emissions by 2021
We will offset any carbon emissions resulting from our staff and volunteers’ trips to Africa through our Gyapa stove initiative. Volunteers travelling before then have the option to help us achieve our goal more quickly by purchasing one themselves.
Reduce wastage on trips
Poor waste management leads to a build-up of rubbish, which can have a detrimental effect on health and wellbeing for local people and wildlife. We will help volunteers avoid unnecessary waste and help them recycle what can be brought home.
Keep our UK office carbon neutral
In our UK office, we are powered by renewable energy. Where possible, our staff will use public transport for business journeys and if it’s unavoidable, we’ll offset all carbon generated by flight and car journeys through our Gyapa stove programme in Ghana.
Waste management and supplies
Wherever possible, we source our supplies from sustainable businesses. From shopping Fairtrade to choosing recycled alternatives, responsible purchasing has a positive impact on people and planet. We use a variety of recycling schemes to minimise our net waste.
In the UK
We’ve carefully considered the most effective initiatives that we can introduce to be more environmentally friendly. Our work begins in our UK office, and through these relatively small changes, we can proudly say we are low waste and carbon neutral:
TerraCycle helps to recycle waste that usually goes to landfill. They offer a range of recycling programmes for different items in various locations across the UK. In the African Adventures office, we compost our food waste and group our plastic packaging, so we can utilise TerraCycle’s recycling programmes and minimise all our office waste.
We source our UK office supplies from responsible, eco-friendly suppliers wherever possible. From buying Fairtrade tea and coffee, and using recycling loo roll (we said we’re committed!), to choosing recycled alternatives for our printing paper and other essentials, we’re always on the lookout for eco-friendly alternatives for the place we call home.
Carbon offsetting initiatives typically fund projects that reduce or remove carbon emitted from another source to neutralise the overall impact. Each year, we calculate the total amount of carbon emitted from our business – including staff miles from public and private transport and office utilities – and donate the equivalent number of stoves to our Gyapa stove initiative.
In Africa
Flying is not good for the environment. In fact, an average return flight from the UK to Kenya releases around two tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. This doesn’t mean everybody should stop flying but it does mean we need to reduce its impact.
At African Adventures, we are serious about our commitment to help protect the environment. Within two years, we aim to offset all carbon generated by our volunteers’ flights to Africa through our Gyapa stove programme in Ghana.
A Gyapa stove is a Gold Standard certified, energy-saving cook stove, which requires a lot less fuel than the traditional method of cooking over an open coal pot. The impact of this on individual health and finances, as well as the obvious environmental benefits, make it a valuable, low cost investment. Up to 50% of household income for the poorest families is spent on cooking fuel. The ongoing demand for fuel in Ghana help drives greater deforestation. In fact, in 2018, Ghana had the biggest increase in the loss of primary rainforest and has one of the highest deforestation rates throughout all of Africa. A Gyapa stove requires up to 50% less fuel than traditional cooking methods, and on average, avoids between half a ton of carbon being dumped into the atmosphere every year.
This year, we will offset between 500-600 tonnes of carbon emissions generated by our volunteers’ flights by purchasing 250 Gyapa stoves for the communities we work in across Ghana.
We will be rolling out this offset programme further until we offset 100% of all emissions generated from our volunteers’ flights.
If you want to help us achieve our goal sooner, you can purchase a Gyapa stove and directly offset your own carbon emissions below.
Purchase a Gyapa StoveWe are a family of 6 – myself and my five granddaughters. The stove has been very good. It doesn’t consume excessive charcoal and produces enough heat for cooking within a few minutes. It cooks so quickly and easily compared to the normal ‘coal pot’ I had before. This benefits me and my family as it means we don’t have to spend too much on charcoal.
Top tips for helping
Bring home your toiletries bottles
Check to see if things you put in the bin can be recycled at home
Take a reusable water filter bottle to avoid buying bottled water
If you have space in your luggage, bring back plastic you know can be recycled at home
Consider buying souvenirs from ethical sources and the local community – ask your Trip Host for more information