Guest Blog by Nicola Litchfield, Pauley Creative
Like many businesses nowadays, Pauley Creative, a digital marketing agency for the construction industry based in Milton Keynes, wanted to get on top of their carbon emissions.
While the company had conducted some of their own research regarding sustainability and carbon-offsetting, when they reached out to Make it Wild, they still had a lot of unanswered questions regarding tree planting and carbon mitigation.
Having completed an online carbon calculation and gained an understanding of their environmental impact, Pauley Creative were keen to begin the process to offset their company’s historical carbon footprint.
The company’s total carbon emissions for the last 12 years clocked in at approximately 367 Tonnes. After a discussion with Make it Wild, they realised they needed to plant around 100 trees.
The agency initially felt quite helpless when it came to sustainability. They felt as if their efforts were a drop in the ocean and would never amount to any substantial impact. However, they decided to seek out a hands-on experience where the whole company could get involved.
Stuart Dinnie, Pauley Creative’s Managing Director, wanted to give his team a moment of togetherness planting some trees, while wiping the company’s carbon slate clean and investing in something long-standing for the environment.
At the beginning of their carbon offsetting journey, the agency had some difficulty finding a responsible and truly sustainable offsetting scheme.
Firstly, many schemes didn’t allow you to come and plant the trees yourself. Secondly, some schemes did not have the protections in place to allow them to grow into mature plants, to a point where they can effectively store carbon.
Stuart said “I was hoping for an experience where we could plant the trees as a company and set the tone for how we consider the environment going forward. Simply parting with money to plant trees that may never capture the carbon we intend them to, seems very impersonal.”
Fortunately, Make it Wild was recommended to Pauley Creative, and they could make a start on setting their carbon record straight. The agency is due to visit and plant some trees in March 2022.
Pauley Creative were pleased to learn more about Make it Wild, who explained
“We are committed to continuing our investments in new land to plant trees. Our goal is to plant 10,000 each year in addition to the 50,000 trees planted so far. To ensure every tree we plant can grow undisturbed and protected, we plant in protected areas.
The first 18,000 trees were planted in the Sylvan Nature Reserve, near York, which is open to the public. More recently we’ve planted in the Bank Woods and Dacre Woodlands, which are both protected nature reserves near Harrogate. Our ancient woodlands and the meadows in between them are designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.”
Having this longevity in place to guarantee the successful growth of the trees is crucial if you truly want to make a difference to the environment by offsetting through tree-planting.
One of the main attractions to Pauley Creative of the Make it Wild carbon offsetting scheme was the transparency they offer around the whole process.
All their trees are photographed by drone, so they can show you the exact trees you have paid for. You can see where they will stand for years to come, gaining a sense of achievement and feeling as though you are a part of a bigger cause standing against climate change.
The agency was also very grateful for the knowledge they gained regarding carbon offsetting and sustainability. While offsetting has its place in sustainability and is helpful to the environment, it is only one part of the puzzle for becoming a more carbon friendly business.
After taking this first step, the agency intends to continue with a new sustainability mindset, and continue to improve their other sustainability efforts going forward. The agency plans to install electric vehicle charging banks at their new office, and use local produce for client lunches. Additionally, the agency has signed up to a Make it Wild monthly carbon offsetting subscription, so going forward they can continue to offset any additional carbon they produce.
