Yorkshire estate agent Dacre Son & Hartley is to offset more than 100 tons of carbon dioxide emissions after undertaking a carbon audit and joining a deciduous tree planting scheme in Nidderdale.
The company is working with woodland management group Make it Wild, which has been establishing new nature reserves and permanent woodland for wildlife in North Yorkshire for more than a decade. The company has already planted over 55,000 trees as part of the new, permanent native broad leaf woodlands, which it is managing and preserving for the benefit of nature and the carbon the timber will retain.
Mark Shayler from consultants APE produced a detailed carbon report covering the estate agency’s direct and indirect activities, right down to the impact of employee travel, purchased goods and services, before making recommendations to offset existing emission levels and setting reduction targets. Dacre Son and Hartley is planting native trees to offset the 111 tons of CO2 that the independent audit found the company produced each year across its 21 Yorkshire offices.
Make it Wild cares for the trees, enhancing biodiversity and creating a habitat where UK flora and fauna can thrive. It is estimated that each tree will absorb more than 3.5 tons of CO2 over a 40-year period.
Head of residential at Dacre Son & Hartley, Patrick McCutcheon, said: “Climate change is incredibly important and represents one of the greatest challenges of all time. At Dacres we wish to play our part in helping to protect both the planet and our environment for future generations and recognise that the current initiative is just a small step on our sustainability path.”
Other initiatives at Dacre Son & Hartley include ensuring that all of the electricity used throughout the company’s office network is certified as 100% renewable from wind, solar and hydro sources. The company is also moving to hybrid and electric vehicles within its office pool fleet.
