All of our activities and choices have an impact on the environment. At Castle Hot Tubs we are taking positive steps to reduce our Carbon Footprint and to help you operate your hot tub in an environmentally responsible manner.
For every hot tub or swim spa sold, Castle Hot Tubs commit to planting one tree in our local community through the Carbon Footprint Ltd tree planting project.
Planting trees is a great way to help sequester carbon emissions. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, producing oxygen and wood. Planting takes place in school locations and other biodiversity sites. All trees are high quality cell grown ‘whips’ (year old saplings).
We use the local knowledge and expertise of tree planting partners to ensure the right trees are planted in the appropriate places. The trees are predominantly planted in school grounds, reserves and managed woodland where they will live their natural lifespan and meet their biodiversity targets. The species planted varies from season to season. Trees are usually planted between November and April.
All the trees planted are UK native broad leaf varieties including:
Hawthorn, Sessile Oak, Hazel, Downy Birch, Guelder Rose, Field Maple, Rowan, English Oak, Blackthorn, Wild Cherry
Also, we have planted Common Alder, Crab Apple, Silver Birch, Spindle Bush & Goat Willow.
Planting trees is easy and a perfect opportunity to get kids involved and to teach them about biodiversity and the importance of trees. The planting itself is also great fun for the kids, as they get stuck in with an interactive activity outside the classroom. The trees and accessories are supplied free of charge to UK schools. The trees come with canes and biodegradable guard spirals to protect them whilst they are young and to help them grow straight.
– Richard Gasser, Headteacher, Park Junior School.
Quality Assurance Scheme (QAS) Approved
Our tree planting partner, Carbon Footprint Ltd was one of just four carbon offsetting organisations that met the original government Quality Assurance scheme requirements and is one of the founding members of the new QAS programme, launched as an independent not-for-profit organisation in July 2012.
For every tree that you pledge, a tonne of carbon will also be saved through supporting the VCS Tree Buddying programme. In this way, you can be confident that emissions are immediately offset through high quality internationally verified carbon offsets, in addition to the trees that will be planted on your behalf, which will continue sequestering additional carbon emissions as they grow during their lifetime.
This type of offsetting plays a vital role in combating climate change, but if done in isolation it is not the solution.
At Castle Hot Tubs, we recognise that climate change will only be effectively addressed if we all individually take responsible steps to REDUCE our CO2 emissions as much as possible and then offset the remaining unavoidable emissions.
We want to help you do this in practical ways. Check out our other blogs for ways to reduce your energy consumption when running a hot tub.
We strongly recommend Air-Source Heat Pumps to significantly reduce the energy consumption to heat and operate your hot tub.
Our tree planting partner is:
Committed to the environment – ISO 14001:2015 certified and Carbon Neutral
Committed to quality – ISO 9001:2015 certified
Leading in carbon offsetting – founding members of the Quality Assurance Standard (QAS)
