CLWB LAND ROVER GOGLEDD CYMRU

 

 

NORTH WALES LAND ROVER CLUB

PRESS RELEASE

ISSUED: Ruthun, North Wales, 23rd June 2007

4x4's Fighting For The Environment

North Wales Land Rover Club has celebrated its 21st Birthday by achieving Climate Neutrality by supporting Sustainable Energy and Reforestation Projects across the world. 

To reduce its impact on the climate North Wales Land Rover Club is offsetting the carbon emissions from all of its organised events, including the travel to and from those events, by teaming up with Climate Care.  Climate Care is an organisation that reduces greenhouse gas emissions on behalf of its clients by running projects across the world. It is believed that North Wales Land Rover Club are the first Land Rover Club in Wales to obtain Climate Neutrality, and only the second in Britain.

Club Chairman Dave Shearer said “We are proud of our achievement, and all the more so because in addition to fighting Climate Change we are also helping to improve the lives of people in some of the poorest communities in the world. It's a fantastic way for the Club to celebrate its 21st year.”

The projects include such schemes as the provision of fuel efficient cooking stoves in poor regions of Mexico. This supports conservation by reducing the wood needed for cooking and benefits the householders by removing health risks from smoke in the kitchens. Each stove saves about 3 tonnes of CO2 a year.

In the Chhattisgarh region of India irrigation for farming is vital outside of the monsoon season. Many farmers have to rent diesel pumps at a significant cost to them. By using manually powered treadle pumps instead of the costly and inefficient diesel pumps the farmers enjoy reduced costs and there is an average saving of of 0.65 tonnes of CO2 per year. Some farmers have seen their annual income double.

A restoration project in the Kibale National Park in Uganda aims to re-create a rainforest canopy by planting and managing 30 species of local trees. The area is an important wildlife habitat – with one of the highest number of primate species in the world - and the project provides employment for local communities. The project is expected to save 400 tonnes of CO2 per hectare of rainforest each year.

Rights of Way Officer Dave McKay said “We were inspired by Land Rover themselves who are offsetting all of the greenhouse gases from their UK production and the first 45,000 miles of all new vehicles. Climate Care are the company they used, so it seemed sensible that we follow suit, on a much smaller scale of course. What we'd really like is for any other Land Rover Clubs who are thinking of doing something about their greenhouse gas emissions to contact us. We'll be pleased to offer them whatever advice and assistance we can. For anyone who is passionate about their vehicle and passionate about the climate, we've shown that there doesn't have to be a conflict of interests.”

Notes:

1.      For more details please contact David McKay, 01824 780889 (home), 07875 551097 (mobile), dmckay@btconnect.com.

2.      North Wales Land Rover Club is a member of the Association of Land Rover Clubs and the Welsh Association for Motor Clubs and is recognised by the Motor Sports Association. The Club celebrated its 21st Birthday in June 2007.

3.      To find out more about Climate Care and its projects, please see www.climatecare.org.