A County Durham housing association, believe housing, has become the first organisation in the sector to achieve the Carbon Neutral International Standard.
believe housing is ‘thrilled’ to be the first housing association to achieve the Carbon Neutral International Standard and the United Nations Climate Neutral Now Initiative participation. believe housing has also officially reached carbon neutrality for all the footprint that was measured. The pioneering commitment is just part of believe housing’s work to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency.
The Climate Neutral Now initiative was launched in 2015 to encourage action towards a net-zero emissions world by 2050 to tackle climate change. Achieving this standard required believe housing to measure its carbon footprint for all their business activities and to take actions to reduce it as much as possible — and then compensate for any emissions that cannot be avoided.
In addition to their social commitment, believe housing is now also a champion in sustainability and a key player in supporting reforestation programmes, as a way to compensate for their carbon emissions.
Nik Turner, Executive Director of Communities and Customer Services from believe housing said: “It’s a fantastic achievement and we are extremely proud to be the first housing association to achieve this standard. When we talk about preventing or reducing environmental impact, it would be easy to be overwhelmed by this challenge. However, we have in place a comprehensive green plan that ensures that all the small steps we take contribute to our overall vision.
“By committing to make energy-efficient improvements, reduce emissions and accelerate our use of technology like electric vehicles, we can make a difference. Achieving these internationally recognised standards is proof of that, and we’re thrilled to be leading the way in the housing sector.
“It’s not all about our own changes though. We will also be working closely with our customers to help them find ways to save money on energy use, and of course, reduce their emissions at the same time.
Achieving the Carbon Neutral International Standard and participating in the United Nations Climate Neutral Now Initiative was one of the first priorities in a detailed ‘green plan,’ which also includes a commitment to introduce smart technology on new homes being built by believe housing, to reduce energy use, and to upgrade the energy performance of their 18,000 existing homes.
believe housing has been working on its green aspirations alongside One Carbon World, a carbon neutral organisation and a global resource partner of the Climate Neutral Now Initiative.
Andrew Bowen, Chief Executive Officer of One Carbon World said: “It is fantastic to welcome believe housing to the UN Climate Neutral Now Initiative. They have gone above and beyond the requirements to join the initiative in achieving carbon neutrality and demonstrate how strongly they are committed to sustainability and the wider community.”
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