Contact
020 7953 7040
info@ccameron.co.uk
Charles Cameron & Associates
Blackfriars Foundry
154-156 Blackfriars Road
London SE1 8EN
Carbon Offsetting - 1 Mortgage = 1 Tree - UK Wilderness Preservation
At Charles Cameron & Associates, we are committed to protecting our planet for future generations. That is why we are continually developing our CSR plans and are very proud of the projects we have launched to date:
1. Becoming Climate Positive
The first is auditing then improving and offsetting our company footprint. We offset by 120% and are a climate positive business. By working with Earthly we are helping to prevent deforestation in the Congo Basin, through improving schooling, employment opportunities and healthcare for local communities.
2. 1 Mortgage = 1 Tree, Refer a friend = 2 Trees
The second is by planting a tree for every mortgage completed, and two for every remortgage or client referral. We chose mangrove trees in Madagascar as they not only filter greenhouse gases but they also provide habitats for sea life and act as a natural coastal defence against flooding – 3 benefits in 1 tree.
3. UK Wilderness Preservation
The most recent project have launched is supporting flora and fauna in the Suffolk countryside and planting new English Oak trees with our partners at Wilderness Reserve.
Please read more about these exciting Charles Cameron & Associates initiatives along with our long term commitment to tackling climate change, below.
New for 2024
Wilderness Reserve, Suffolk Project
We are working in partnership with Wilderness Reserve in Suffolk – an 8,000-acre estate managed for wildlife preservation. Their ecologists have successfully reintroduced various types of moths and provided habitats for declining species such as water voles and turtle doves and planted over a million trees.
We visit the reserve on team volunteering days. In August, our Corporate Services Team spent
the day pruning English Oak trees in the ancient woodland and clearing the forest floor to help wildflowers bloom next year. It was fascinating to learn about the wildlife we were helping, such as the rare Silver Washed Fritillary butterflies.
We are now planting new English oak trees on the reserve for each of our corporate partners. We are on our way to planting over 1,000 trees in the Suffolk countryside.
“We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Wilderness Brochure
Planting trees for you
We will be planting one mangrove tree in Madagascar for every mortgage completed and two for every remortgage or client referral!
Our decision came after looking around the world at where the planting would have the most positive impact on their surroundings. Mangroves are important for the climate crisis because estimates suggest that they sequester carbon at a rate of 2 – 4 times greater than mature tropical forests.
As a result, each mangrove tree removes around 308kg of CO2 from the atmosphere over the course of its life cycle (approximately 25 years).
Mangrove forests also offer numerous other ecosystem services, both short term and long term, such as natural coastal defences from floods and storm surges, increased biodiversity and sediment reduction.
Find out more about the projects we support with Earthly here. To learn more, please download our sustainability report below or see our sustainability policy.
We’ve invested in a long term sustainability project to protect natural resources by Lake Mai Ndombe in the Congo Basin.
Reportedly at the start of 2020, there were 20 bonobo monkeys and 30 forest elephants living there and these numbers have been rising since the beginning of the project in 2011.
A team on the ground also works with local villagers to monitor any poaching reported within the area.
Our investment also goes towards…
Health
Building a mobile medical clinic has so far helped over 3,000 people receive vital healthcare which they had not previously had access to. The project also focusses on delivering medicines via local health authorities.
Education
The goal of the project is to build 28 schools within the area. So far, 4 have been completed and 3 are under construction.
Once completed, around 8,000 students will be able to access the education they deserve, preserving the ability of future generations to become skilled workers.
Economic growth
So far, 112 locally employed people provide training and career opportunities within the project area.
With agriculture and fisheries a vital source of income, the aim is to intensify crop growth on degraded land. The advantage to this is, apart from addressing deforestation, local workers can also earn a secure income.
We've made a pledge to the planet
and to our people...
One Mortgage = One Tree!
We've committed to planting a tree for every mortgage that completes as part of our sustainability policy, and two for every remortgage or client referral!
Offsetting our carbon footprint
Every year, through a variety of ecological projects via our climate partner, Earthly, we will be investing in nature to help give back to the planet and increase our sustainable practices.
Volunteering & planting oak trees at Wilderness in Suffolk
As a Corporate Team we are volunteering at Wilderness Reserve in Suffolk. The 8,000 acre estate has recorded 153 species of birds, 33 mammals, over 300 plants, 736 moths, 28 butterflies, 20 dragonflies, 4 species of amphibians and 3 reptiles. We are supporting their work as well as planting Oak trees for our Corporate Partners.
Creating jobs in the Congo basin
As part of our sustainability project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), our investment will help villagers get jobs to help support their local economy. Over 3,000 people in the Mai Ndombe rainforest have received urgent medical care otherwise unavailable to them, we will help to increase that number every year.
Giving rainforest children access to education
Enabling thousands of children in the DRC to have the opportunity for an education they deserve, via our school buildings project.
A fair wage for everyone at Charles Cameron & Associates
We've earned the National Living Wage Certification, ensuring fair pay for everyone.
Supporting a good cause
We’ve partnered with a local charity, Bede House, to make a positive impact in our community. Bede House* has been running since 1938, and provides a whole range of vital support to the local community in Southwark. In many of their programmes, such as their work with people with learning disabilities and with survivors of domestic abuse, they are recognised as leading local providers of services with demonstrable, lasting results.
Visit our JustGiving page to learn more about this charity.
*Charity number 303199
Fair pay for all
We’re a certified Living Wage Employer, which means every single member of staff is guaranteed the “real” living wage for London.
This is higher than the Governments National Living Wage and is part of our duty to ensure all staff, no matter what their role, are able to live as well as they can.
We believe everyone should be paid fairly for the work they do, and this is now reflected in our latest certification.