Your Communications dedicate-a-tree scheme
Your Communications' dedicate-a-tree scheme is part of The CarbonNeutral Company's climate change programme. Through this scheme we support The CarbonNeutral Company's planting partners and their forestry programmes.
These Planting partners have been globally selected, resulting in native-species planting projects with public access and long term contracts, ensuring that the forests will remain in place for at least 99 years. These long-term projects make a real contribution to the local community and wildlife as well as the climate. And, for Your Communications, our involvement marks the fist steps towards our aspiration of being the world's first carbon neutral telecoms network.
How can you help?
There are two ways you can help.
The first is through our mobile phone recycling campaign.
It is very simple really. For each mobile phone we receive for recycling we will dedicate-a-tree on your behalf and we'll send an envelope out with each new mobile phone you order!
If you haven't ordered a new mobile phone but you have an old phone you would like to send us:
- All you need to do is give us your details and we'll send you a pre-paid recycling bag.
- Pop your old mobile phone in the recycling bag and post it back to us.
- Then we'll dedicate-a-tree on your behalf and send you a certificate via email for you to keep!
The second way is by registering for mobile e-billing. E-billing is currently only available to our mobile customers, but we aim to roll out this service all our customers during 2006.
Why are Your Communications doing this?
The greenhouse effect
The earth, like our own bodies, regulates temperature by balancing energy 'inputs' from warming (from the sun, for example) with energy lost through cooling. Greenhouse gases are emitted to the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuels to generate electricity or heat - or to power engines for travel. These gases (principally CO2), trap some of the sun's energy within our atmosphere - like a greenhouse roof - increasing the temperature at which the earth achieves energy balance.
These human induced emissions have already caused the amount of solar energy that drives the planet's climate system to increase by about 1%. If you think that doesn't sound very high, it's equivalent to burning 1.8 million tonnes of oil every minute. That's 100 times the world's current rate of commercial energy consumption.
The main greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2), accounting for about two thirds of the human induced warming effect. Methane, nitrous oxide and other gases account for the remaining third.
So, to grow and sustain, a forest needs more trees, and this is where we come in!
Here comes the science bit!
Trees absorb carbon dioxide (and, in return, produce oxygen and, ultimately wood). Forests account for over 80% of the CO2 exchanged between the land and the atmosphere, so their role in the carbon cycle is vital. They absorb CO2 through the process of photosynthesis. This means solar energy is used to convert water and CO2 into sugars - which make up the building blocks of the tree's cells - and oxygen that is released through the leaves. As trees grow, the carbon is stored as biomass. About 50% of dry matter is carbon.
Forests release CO2 as well, during the 'respiration' process, but a forest absorbs more than it releases. This means that the sequestration potential of forestry schemes depends on growing and sustaining the forests
