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Since 2021, we’ve given £2 per membership fee to the Trillion Trees initiative. Trillion Trees is a global initiative to plant one trillion trees by 2050 to fight climate change, deforestation, and restore forests. The initiative is a collaboration between governments, businesses, and civil society. Our ongoing monthly donations have helped restore degraded land all across the globe. In total, we’ve given £11,598 to the cause. An amount we’re incredibly proud of!

Moving Forward… 🌳

Our Green Plan is ever evolving and we’re always looking at better ways to do things. Whilst giving a donation each month to a green cause was a great first step, we wanted to dig a little deeper to explore ways that Love Soul Choir could do more.

In 2024, we worked with Carbon Neutral Britain™. They are the UK’s Leading Carbon Offsetting Initiative – allowing individuals and businesses to offset their environmental impact. By Offsetting our Carbon Footprint – funding projects to remove CO₂e from the atmosphere – we have effectively balanced out our emissions therefore becoming a certified Carbon Neutral organisation!

How did we do this? 📈

Step 1: Calculate – We submitted data (electricity usage estimations for admin and rehearsal time as well as Dan’s (Choir Leader) travel and estimations on member travel across 2024 so that the team at Carbon Neutral Britain™ could work out our carbon footprint measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e). From this, we received a Carbon Emissions Report.

Step 2: Offset – We offset our carbon emissions by investing in verified projects around the world which reverse our total tCO₂e emissions.

Step 3: Certify – We have received our Carbon Neutral certification because we have calculated and subsequently offset our emissions.

Step 4: Reduce Future Emissions – We’ve also been sent a Carbon Reduction Plan which helps us to explore ways to reduce our carbon footprint as we move forward.

What projects have we supported? 🌊

The majority of projects that Carbon Neutral Britain™ support are regulated Certified Emission Reduction units (CERs) – the most recognised and widely used standard in the world, overseen by the United Nations. We had a choice of projects to support and we opted for the Carbon Neutral Britain Woodland Fund™. In addition to supporting Wind, Solar, Hydro and Cook Stove Projects around the world, the woodland fund also supports Reforestation and Woodland Management Projects with a strong focus on having a positive impact on the local wildlife, ecology and biodiversity. Carbon Neutral Britain™ have a key focus on ensuring that impact is felt at home as well as abroad. Because of this, we have been able to select a Climate Action Project in Britain where up to 10% of our offset is given directly to our chosen cause; Blue Carbon – Sea Kelp Recovery and Management.

Around the coasts of the UK, Sea Kelp Forests are one of the most extensive and productive ecosystems, supporting greater species biodiversity than many coral reefs. Globally, Sea Kelp has a significant part to play in mitigating climate change, with an estimated 5 Million tonnes of carbon being captured each year. Via the Carbon Neutral Britain™ charity project partners, they are helping protect and manage kelp forests in the Solent and Sussex. 

We opted for this project because of the work being done on managing kelp forests in the Solent – a location really close to where we’re based!

We’re looking forward to continuing to work with Carbon Neutral Britain™ in to 2025 and beyond, continuing to explore ways to further reduce our carbon footprint. We’re also looking on ways to better capture data from our members about the ways they travel to and from sessions, performances and events so that we can more accurately report as we move forward! 🌎

Why does this matter? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Love Soul Choir is way more than just a choir. We want to make the planet a better place. By encouraging our members to feel inspired to protect (and understand the impact we all have on) planet earth, we feel like we can make some meaningful changes.

As a business, we feel that it’s important to continue to look at reducing our carbon emissions – holding ourselves accountable – and leading by example.

Our Green Plan 💚

You can see more about our Green Plan by clicking here.