COMMITMENT
Another year again, I begin this post to explain the different social and environmental fronts on which Ekohunters has focused. However, what I should underlie in this post is that once again we need to talk about all these problems. That one more year, that year after year, the environmental and social situation is not moving towards better prospects. The post we would like to write is a post, today unthinkable. Unfortunately, poverty and the social gap between one class and another, between one country and another, is excessive. Because the destruction of the ecosystems, the natural environment, the exploitation of resources, land and marine pollution, the excessive and unsustainable consumption and an economic model that does nothing to help achieve a fairer society and closer to a development marked by current and future sustainability, is seriously jeopardising the stability of the planet.
In spite of all this, we do not cease in our efforts to continue fighting for what we believe in, for a more solidary system, for a less excessive development, more sustainable, for a less exploited and more respected planet. We continue to fight in favour of inspiring changes, of raising awareness and at the same time, learning how to improve ourselves every day. In this endeavour, once again, we have worked to offset our carbon footprint and our ecological footprint by supporting and working for the development in places and with communities and by trying to put a passing value on the environment and its benefits.
Offset our emissions.
As a consequence of our policy of reducing the carbon emissions derived from our activity, in our objective of raising awareness of climate change, we have once again become involved for this purpose, with the carbon footprint reduction project of the CeroCO2 initiative.
In this occasion, we wanted to take part in the offset project «small and micro hydropwer plants in China», one of the countries with the highest emissions, allowing rural and mountainous areas in southwest China to produce emission-free energy.
The project is based on the provinces of Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan and Guizhou, from the subtropical areas of the south to the Tibetan plateau. Specifically, the project is carried out in the Yangtze, Pearl, Mekong, Salween and Red rivers.
Traditionally these areas produce the light and heat from firewood (which led to deforestation and soil erosion) or from dirty and inefficient diesel generators.
The main function of this project is, on the one hand, to prevent the burning of fossil fuels and therefore, the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere and, on the other hand, to provide the inhabitants of these rural areas with electrical infrastructures that enable sustainable development, avoiding, as we have already mentioned, harmful emissions for people and the planet.
«Technically, the hydroelectric power stations work without dam, avoiding the problems of construction of these infrastructures such as floods, resettlement or environmental impacts on the flora of the river, etc. They convert into electricity the force of the water flowing through a charging pipe thanks to a natural difference in height. The reduction in emissions results from the replacement of coal-fired power stations by clean hydroelectric power stations.»
- Impacts of the project:
- Socioeconomic.
– New jobs for the technical maintenance of plants with a high standard of health and safety at work.
– Creation of community infrastructures (Mobility and transport) creating new opportunities for sustainable development.
– New cultivation opportunities strengthened by the creation of new irrigation canals.
– Creation of agricultural training workshops.
– The 80% of the company’s workers are ethnic minorities. The work also makes it possible to reconcile it with the cultivation of their land.
– Reduction of respiratory diseases due to the reduction of chimneys in homes due to the availability of clean energy.
2. Environmental.
– Reduction of the use of firewood (for light and heating) reduces deforestation and soil erosion.
– Replacement of diesel generators reduces emissions (sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) by improving air quality and mitigating environmental pollution.
– The produced electricity improves the network and gives economic stability to the communities.
In short, we are facing a project to offset our emissions that combines, as it is our intention in each of our actions, the protection of the environment with the sustainable development of the communities involved.
Our ecological footprint. Recovering the natural environment.
In 2018 we wanted to go one step further by acting on the ecological footprint that Ekohunters and its supplier partners generate with their activity. This Footprint is a sustainability indicator, which evaluates the global forest hectares of average world forest needed to generate the natural resources required by an activity and assimilate the waste produced by it.
With the aim of mitigating as far as possible this environmental impact on the planet and its resources, we wanted to allocate part of our resources and join the «One tree Planted» initiative whose activity consists of carrying out reforestations all over the world with the aim of giving back to nature a little of what it grants us, while fighting against deforestation, loss of biodiversity, global warming and climate change. In addition, this initiative, as could not be otherwise, develops this activity in collaboration with various associations and communities belonging to the various areas of the countries where reforestation is carried out, thus promoting the sustainable development of many of these areas.
Our commitment this year has focused on 5 countries around the world which has meant acting in four different continents. These actions have been carried out specifically in Peru, Australia, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Rwanda.
The Projects.
– Peru and more specifically the region of Madre de Dios in the Amazon jungle is already a known project for us because last year we acted in this same place, which has been a decisive factor in choosing it and thus continue the work begun last year.
You can learn more about the project and its social and environmental impact following this link
– Another Reforestation initiative has been Australia, one of the countries most affected by global warming and climate change. The project focuses among other places on Tasmania and tries to safeguard the endemic biodiversity of this territory trying to put in value the territory promoting tourism, job creation and trying to revitalize the local agriculture.
You can visit the details of the project following this link
– Indonesia is one of the richest places on the planet in terms of biodiversity. But it is also one of the places where this natural wealth is most threatened and where deforestation is most pronounced day by day, due to the destructive voracity of palm oil companies. This initiative seeks to restore all that natural wealth by helping to educate local villages about the importance of conservation, create jobs for those in the area and provide long-term income for the community.
If you want to know more follow this link
– Ethiopia has suffered and continues suffering the onslaught of famine and carries with it the terrible legacy of being one of the poorest countries. This tree planting project links environmental restoration with income generation, giving the local community the knowledge and tools to conserve their land, protect their water supply and create a sustainable and diverse economy for future generations. Through «SOS Sahel Ethiopía» this initiative seeks to improve the quality of life of farmers and pastoralists by improving their environment and providing better access to food.
For more information visit this link
Finally, another of the countries where we wanted to make our small contribution is Rwanda . Rwanda is trying to prosper and move forward again little by little. A country with a great wealth of fauna that has been threatened by overgrazing and illegal mining that has considerably reduced the forest. The Albertine Rift Conservation Society helps farmers restore land and improve community livelihoods.
If you want to know more about this project follow the link
Ekohunters values
Ekohunters year after year seeks to grow in its commitment and responsibility with the values, mission and vision we have for the development model we want to inspire. We are confident that we can continue to support initiatives such as these in the future. A future that we hope and trust will be that of a society and a planet inspired by sustainability and respect for the environment and its resources.
You can find more information about our environmental emissions and offsets policy in our Sustainability Report 2018 public accessible
