Jersey Kayak Adventures offsets its carbon footprint.
As part of our commitment to the environment at Jersey Kayak Adventures, we reduce our carbon footprint. We reduced our carbon footprint by almost 50% by buying an electric van, switching from gas to electric heating and doing more recycling. Plus, we regularly undertake beach cleans on our kayak tours.
We buy from businesses such as Peak UK who are extending their excellent range of paddle-sport clothing by using recycled products and reduced packaging. Werner Paddles recycle materials used in the manufacture of their paddles. Our old kit is often stripped down so parts can be reused for repairs and other uses. For example, old PFD foam makes an excellent mat to keep your feet warm when changing on cold days, and the foam makes good padding when storing kayaks on the trailers.
To encourage customers to use greener alternatives, we offer an eco-discount if they arrive by bus, bicycle, or foot.
The tricky bit is how to reduce our carbon footprint even further. Currently, the cost and availability of electric vans to tow kayak trailers are pretty limited. However, I expect the prices will soon get more realistic.
Another challenge is finding a sea kayak manufacturer that utilises more recycled material and can recycle their products at the end of their working life.
Carbon Offsets for a small business
Faced with reducing our carbon footprint, we looked at carbon offsets. For a small business, carbon offset schemes can seem quite complicated. It soon became apparent that carbon offsetting (when done well) is more than just planting trees.
Rewild Carbon
In 2021 we heard that the Jersey-based Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust had created Rewild Carbon, a carbon offset project with a novel approach. Knowing that a world-famous conservation organisation founded by Gerald Durrell ran Rewild Carbon gave us confidence that this was a scheme worth considering.
Durrell links the purchase of forest in Brazil with habitat management for endangered species.
To restore the incredible colour of our planet, Durrell aims to:
Recover threatened or missing wildlife;
Revive and rebuild ecosystems and natural processes;
Reconnect people to the natural world they share, and take
Responsibility for demonstrating the value of the natural world.
Rewild Carbon invests directly in reforestation and has an integrated management scheme to support endangered creatures and local communities.
We can see where our money goes, and more importantly, it actively involves local communities in wildlife conservation.
Read more about the Rewild Carbon project and how it is helping to regenerate forests, habitats and endangered species like the Golden Lion Tamarin here.
