Climate change is one of the world’s most topical discussion points - even politicians are starting to acknowledge that the way we live our lives today is having a dramatic effect on the planet.

Unfortunately long-haul air travel is particularly damaging to the environment in terms of carbon emissions. Using UK Government published figures to convert units of energy into CO2 emissions it has been calculated that a flight from London to Zambia will create 2.2 tonnes of CO2 and that flying from New York to Zambia will release 3.8 tonnes into the atmosphere.

It was suggested to us that as a company we donate money on behalf of our guests to an international carbon offsetting company, thus balancing some of the emissions created getting our guests to Africa. On researching companies of this nature we could find none that promised to send more than 60% of your donation to the offsetting projects they supported. This was not high enough in our minds and prompted us to act locally. We are therefore setting up a tree planting scheme in Mfuwe that will be run in conjunction with our existing school project. Travel agents and individual travellers can donate $20 dollars a head and we will guarantee that every cent will be spent on planting trees and on a lecture program through local schools to explain to the next generation, the dangers of deforestation. In this way, we will be offering a way to contribute not only to the reduction of greenhouse gases but also to the education of the next generation.

Deforestation on a relatively small scale has been commonplace in Zambia for as long as crops have been grown. Our tree planting scheme will be run through our school project. The children will be actively involved in the planting and management of the trees and will be schooled in the reasoning behind the scheme.

The Project
Working in conjunction with Magenge Nursery in Mfuwe, we will purchase sapling trees, plant them and manage their development. The project will work hand-in-hand with our existing school project - the kids will essentially be implementing the project. As an offshoot to the main activities we will also run a series of lectures at local schools teaching the dangers of deforestation.

How to Contribute
By giving us US$20 per person you can contribute to the cause. We won't guarantee exactly how many trees we will plant with each person's contribution, but we expect it to be around 10 - 15 trees. We will however guarantee that every penny you give us will go towards the project. Even the greenest of international off-setting companies won't usually send more than 60% of your donation to the projects they support.

Whilst tree-planting schemes may not be as effective at offsetting CO2 emissions as some renewable energy programs, they do have benefit and they are something that we have done before in the Luangwa so we know we can manage the project. Please do contact us for more information on how you can contribute.