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The carbon-offsetting scheme used by PONT CAP

 

 

Why offset?

  • Everyone travels and uses power and therefore has a carbon footprint, adding to mankind’s impact on global climate change. By cutting down their footprint – using less power and making more journeys by public transport, bike or walking– they cut down what they can.

  • Some activities are essential and others, such as holidays involving air-flights cannot avoid making a large carbon footprint. It is possible to ‘offset’ this extra carbon by paying [rather like a fine] to create clean power that will replace power created by the use of fossil fuels. If this clean power is created in a less developed country, it helps that population to develop without making the type of climate impact that we have done in the UK.

In Mbale, Uganda, trusted local NGOs use this money to install solar power units. The more offsetting that is done, the more clean power, replacing diesel or kerosene can be made available, with local people being trained to maintain units. For example, if children in rural areas study in the evening, they use kerosene ‘candles’, where the oil is placed in an empty can with a rag wick. These ‘candles’ are dangerous if they are knocked over, provide very limited light and create smoke, leading to respiratory and eye problems. Since kerosene is a form of fossil fuel, replacing it by solar lighting offsets your carbon use – and you are also providing much better quality lighting conditions for these rural communities.

 

How to offset:

 

  1. Calculate - or let us do this for you - how much carbon you should be offsetting for your selected activity.

[The Welsh Assembly Government is setting up an on-line calculator. Until this is available, the Climate Care and similar responsible website values will be averaged to produce results.]

  1. Pay this amount to PONT: Cheques should be made payable to PONT, with ‘Carbon off-setting’ written on the back

Send to PONT [Carbon offsetting], 48 Pentrebach Road, Pontypridd, CF37 4BW.

  1. Your offsetting payments are transferred to the PONT donation distribution committee in Mbale, Uganda. It has been agreed between the Pontypridd and Mbale communities that the solar lighting units will go to schools in rural areas where there is no reliable electrical supply. The community will be selected by the Mbale committee. Initially, this scheme will be restricted to solar-powered lighting units but it is envisaged that fuel-efficient stoves and fuel-efficient brick-making units will also, in time, be choices available for donors.

  2. If required, a certificate stating the amount of offset you have provided can be supplied, via the address above.

 

How your offsetting money is used:

 

Small, solar-powered lighting units are bought in Mbale, Eastern Uganda. These are able to power low energy bulbs for approx. 4 hours per day under the local sunlight conditions. The units are installed in community buildings, such as schools, where they are used for activities such as homework clubs. Local people are trained in installation and maintenance of the units.

If you would like more detail of how your money is used, how communities are selected [by a committee in Mbale] and ways in which the scheme can be expanded, please contact PONT, at the address above.

Copyright 2006 - PONT