First time in Estonia: A private company started a community programme that allows people to reduce their carbon footprint
16. June 2020
A community programme was established last Thursday, 11th of June in the framework of which, in cooperation with forest associations, Alexela will plant a tree for every resident of Estonia. The aim of the programme is to help neutralise the carbon footprint produced by the traffic kilometres created by the people inhabiting Estonia.
The board member of the Alexela Group, Marti Hääl explained at the opening event of the community programme, which took place at the Metsa-Pirita forest holding in Harju County that the planting of the new forest allows everyone to reduce the amount of carbon emissions expelled into the atmosphere, through the burning of fuels. "A growing forest has the capacity to absorb carbon and produce oxygen. A medium sized tree, in its lifetime, can through photosynthesis, store over 600 kg of carbon and in one year produce the two year’s supply of oxygen for a person. The planting of a new forest, thus will help significantly reduce the ecological footprint caused by driving cars", commented Hääl.
The programme initiated by Alexela, according to Hääl, aims assisting clients in reducing their environmental impacts caused by the driven kilometres. "We help the community to achieve the climate goals set for Estonia and have taken as our aim, for Alexela to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. We have for many years, in order to achieve this goal, already made investments into the circular economy and the production of climate neutral biomethane, as well as logistics and a retail network. We are developing the necessary infrastructure for the deployment of LNG and hydrogen, both in Estonia and Finland. We are developing an innovative storage facility in Paldiski, which will reduce Estonia's CO2 emissions by at least 8.5 million tons", highlighted Hääl, telling examples of Alexela's journey toward climate neutrality. "Alexela will plant this year as seed, in the framework of the open programme, 12 000 trees as a gift to the employees of the Alexela group", noted Hääl.
The chairman of the board of Alexela AS, Aivo Adamson, additionally to the board member, spoke in more detail about the initiated community programme. "The plan is through the programme we initiated, to plant trees throughout Estonia for each inhabitant or in total close to 1.33 million trees”, said Adamson.
"Calculations have shown that an average new passenger car, which drives for example 20 000 km per year, produces an amount of CO2, which would require the driver to plant at least four trees to neutralise his/her footprint. The number of trees obviously increases with a larger motor and every person has the possibility to calculate how many trees they must plant, in order to reduce their ecological footprint, by looking at the average CO2 emissions per kilometre from their car documents. It is also possible to automatically make good the creation of one’s emissions, by joining the community programme, as 1 cent for every litre purchased will go towards purchasing trees. We have initiated the transition to cleaner fuels through the development of infrastructure for environmentally friendly filling stations (CNG and electric charging points) and we have now found a way to even further assist the users of traditional fuels, to neutralise their footprint resulting from kilometres driven”, added the manager of Alexela, Aivo Adamson.
It is from now on possible for clients to donate, 1 cent of their discount towards planting trees. Alexela will add as much on their behalf and the participant in the programme can select the county, close to his/her heart, where the earned trees should be planted. It is really not that expensive to improve the environment, as the planting of a tree, in the framework of the programme, is already possible, once you have filled your fuel tank with about 14 litres.
