FAQs

 CarbonWall™ does not charge you anything at all. Unlike some other schemes   all your efforts go directly to the planet. Money you pay for carbon offsetting or towards charitable donations will not benefit CarbonWall™ in any way. 

Whilst we encourage you to think first of how the planet will benefit, there are likely to be benefits to you for joining. Customers are likely to favour businesses with ethical business practices. Due to this it is possible that the value of your products could rise and you could gain overall. Staff retention may be higher in companies with good ethics as it creates a sense of belonging and purpose.

Yes. But you must be sure you can afford the financial commitment. You have 30 days to arrange your carbon offsetting and environmental donations. But it is essential that the emblems are used in conjunction with the rules of the scheme. This is to protect the other members of the scheme, the planet and customers who buy from businesses displaying the CarbonWall™ logo.

CarbonWall™ aims to be as robust as possible. Whilst volunteering is strongly encouraged as an additional activity it cannot count towards your CarbonWall™ commitment at this time. This is to prevent people claiming for well meaning but low value activities. Whilst this will not be ideal for everybody, CarbonWall™ must be as robust as possible to uphold meaningful giving.

No. CarbonWall™ does not handle any money. You will pay your carbon offsetting payments and your environmental donations directly to other organisations of your choice.

We are facing a global crisis that must be addressed as quickly as possible. The CarbonWall™ members are part of a likeminded group of people who want to accelerate the recovery of the planet without having barriers in the way. To that end it is essential that we trust in and encourage this network of incredible beings. It is also imperative that nobody tries to cheat the CarbonWall™ system. Anyone seen to flaunting the rules should be politely encouraged to realign their business practices. We can all make mistakes but with guidance and support we can make real change that will benefit the planet. Those who are looking for a way to cheat the system are encouraged not to join. 

Absolutely. From the mindset of transparency and of trying to encourage others to help the planet, it is strongly encouraged for businesses to tell people about what they are doing. At the end of each year businesses should report their income (sales) and the amount they paid for carbon offsetting and the amount they paid to environmental causes. This is to they can stand up to scrutiny and helps to focus the business on their commitment throughout the year. Businesses should also report which organisations they have used for carbon offsetting and to which organisations they have donated.

It is recommended to spread your carbon offset payments throughout the year. You may choose monthly or quarterly subscriptions to avoid any nasty surprises. If you have underpaid by the end of the tax year you have an additional 30 days to pay.

Whilst you are encouraged to choose a scheme level that is affordable for you, unforeseen circumstances can occur. It is encouraged that you spread your payments throughout the year to avoid any nasty surprises. If you are unable to afford your environmental obligations for a given tax year you must stop using the CarbonWall™ emblem and inform your customers.

If you wish to use the scheme at a later date the remaining unpaid balance must be cleared before starting up again. Ideally this balance should be paid regardless of whether the business re-establishes itself as there is an obligation toward the trust of the customers, but not to the detriment of your mental health or other essential financial commitments.

Companies going into liquidation or bankruptcy or changing names etc still carry this obligation if they wish to start using the scheme again. These strict rules are to protect the integrity of the scheme and its members and the customers who buy products under the CarbonWall™ logo.

No. Please direct your generosity towards your carbon offsetting payments and making donations directly to environmental causes. Please join the scheme and help that way. CarbonWall™ trusts in you.

The person who set up CarbonWall™ has only one mission - to help humans to save the planet as fast as possible. He made the scheme free to get as many people on board as quickly as possible. The founder of CarbonWall™ feels fortunate to have his basic needs met and has no aspirations to become rich or famous.

CarbonWall™ puts its trust in you to be the driving force behind the salvation of the planet. This means that although CarbonWall™ is free the hard work and generosity lies with you. The sense of satisfaction of seeing people do good for the environment is payment in itself. 

The scheme is designed to be self supporting within its own community so that it does not need to charge fees. It's own growing community and the evolving FAQs section are designed to answer all questions. You are the champions that do the work.

Air travel puts significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is sometimes mistakenly labelled as an efficient and low carbon form of transport. Air travel encourages people to travel thousands more miles than they would normally. A long-haul return flight for one person could produce more carbon dioxide than your entire household energy bills for an entire year.

Renewable energy is becoming increasingly available to businesses and households and can now be bought for broadly the same price as energy from non-renewable sources. If you haven't done so already, making this simple transition will help to reduce your environmental footprint.

Producing meat is highly resource intensive. Particularly beef and lamb. Whilst white meat has a lower carbon footprint the welfare practices of standard white meat production is very poor. It might seem surprising but reducing your meat consumption is one of the most effective ways of reducing your carbon footprint. Switching to plant based options can have huge environmental and animal welfare benefits.

It can be tempting to buy the cheapest, but the cheapest is often associated with a higher environmental or social impact. Research your suppliers and try to invest in those that make meaning contributions to the health of the environment. Differentiate yourself from your competitors by telling people about ethically responsible choices. Many people are prepared to pay a little more when they know that they are helping the environment.

As the world begins to value what it already has, we will begin to reduce the amount we consume. Buying second hand, re-using, recycling, borrowing and sharing helps us to form connections. Items that have reached the end of their life can be broken down into individual components and recycled to gain the maximum use out of these valuable raw materials. This activities all lower your environmental footprint.

As we move towards the goals of the CarbonWall™ scheme (goals that are universal and not specific to CarbonWall™) we will move towards sustainability. With this in mind, re-examine your business practices; the materials you use, the energy you use, your suppliers and their business practices and start to make changes to encourage a better, healthier planet.

In some cases it could mean finding a supplier that treats their workers better. In other cases this could mean paying a higher price to a smaller producer who benefits his/her community. 'Planet before Profit' is not always cheap at first sight, but in the long term is it linked to the survival of our entire planet. The bigger picture of the savings are immeasurable and absolutely essential. 

As we lead by example, and find pleasure in doing so, we will encourage others to do the same. People will start to value the resources they already have. The days of endless purchasing will start to fade away as we find an even greater pleasure in examining what we already have and finding a sense of joy and wealth in where we already are. This new found happiness aligns more closely with the need to reduce the environmental damage caused by the mass production of goods we do not need.

Here are a handful of websites where you can do this:
Ecologi.com
Carbonfootprint.com
Carbonneutralbritain.com
You are not limited to these companies. 

Here are a handful of websites where you can do this:
Ecologi.com
Carbonfootprint.com
Carbonneutralbritain.com
You are not limited to these companies. 

This can vary dramatically from business to business depending on the work involved and the amount of energy and materials being consumed. The Carbon footprint of a business with a turnover of £100,000 could range from 10 tonnes to 100 tonnes depending on a range of factors.

The typical Carbon Footprint of an adult in the United Kingdom is around 10  tonnes. A typical adult in India is just 1 tonne. This gives an indication of how much we consume. 

In the UK, the typical carbon footprint of a family of four would be 36 tonnes Co2. In India the average Carbon Footprint of a family of 4 would be just 4 tonnes.

You may donate time to environmental causes including projects that you set up yourself.  This time can count towards your 1%, 2% or 3% obligation. The voluntary work should be logged per hour at the living wage where you live (currently £9.90/hour in Wales) and must have a meaningful environmental impact. Material costs for these projects can also be included in your obligation. The FAQs give guidance on meaningful environmental projects.

Around 60 billion animals are killed in factory systems every year. Factory farmed animals account for around 4 out of every 5 animals that we consume. These systems are largely hidden from public view. As people begin to understand the questionable animal welfare issues embedded in these systems they will also start to create connections with the damage these systems cause to the environment. Supporting charities that lobby for higher welfare systems can help. Eating meat less regularly, and enjoying higher welfare options at a treat whilst incorporating more plant based meals into your diet options can have significant environmental benefits. This has the potential to save land space, energy and water, and reduce pollution in the land and watercourses. 

A meat based diet uses more land, energy and water than a vegetarian or vegan diet. Most of the world's farm land is used to grow crops not to feed to humans but to feed to animals. This is a less efficient way of feeding humans that feeding crops directly to humans. We have run out of land to grow more crops so we cut down forests to make space.

Animals in factory systems are often kept so close together and in such poor conditions that they would become sick and die. Rather than give them the space they need we have solved this problem by routinely feeding them antibiotics. This overuse of antibiotics has the potential for causing pandemics.

The stress of overcrowding in factory farming systems causes animals to peck and bite each other. Our solution to this is to remove part of the beaks of birds and the tails of pigs. Some birds suffer such pain from this that they cannot eat and they die.  

Whilst Organic farming has potential gains for animal welfare and natural ecosystems it does tend to require more land. But this reflects the needs of animals to be given more space to thrive to live out a more natural existence. The solution may lie in a combination of eating organic meat, but far less frequently in order to give it the respect it deserves. Ultimately each person who takes steps towards a plant based diet will have a huge effect on the health of the planet.

Organisations: Compassion in World Farming, PETA, SumOfUs, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth.

Replanting native woodland is a great way to lock up carbon, create habitat for wildlife and form a landscape which is good for the mental health of humans. The UK's woodland loss is worse than the Amazon so we need to plant trees, and fast. 

Organisations: The Woodland Trust, Carbonfootprint.com (tree planting scheme), Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth.

Re-wilding means allowing land back to naturally return to it's original 'wild' state by allowing it to regenerate naturally. This process can produce a biodiverse and resilient mix of trees, plants and wildlife and can be done on a huge scale for relatively little money. This is achieved by protecting the land from farmed grazing animals such as sheep.

Over generations we have forgotten what the landscape used to look like. We see the beauty in rolling green fields, not realising these used to be covered in a rich biodiversity of native trees, shrubs and wildlife.

As the world moves towards a more plant based diet we will free up this land once again and can return it to nature. Humans in areas with more wildlife and natural beauty have been shown to be happier and healthier.

Organisations: The Woodland Trust.

There are a number of organisations who fight battles against powerful, polluting businesses and damaging fossil energy companies. Companies driven purely by profit will not stop unless they are challenged. Donating to organisations that campaign against these organisations, and who offer environmentally friendly solutions will speed up the transition towards a sustainable energy future for humans. This is essential in the fight against climate change and environmental destruction.

Organisations: GreenPeace, Friends of The Earth, Sum of Us.

Modern farming practices are often harmful to the biodiversity of our planet. Fertilisers and pesticides degrade soil and they kill insects, including bees. The production of meat for plant based diets requires considerably more land than plant based diet options. We have run out of land to grow the crops to feed to animals so we cut down rainforests, displacing and killing the animals that live in them. 

The root cause of extinction may lie in our choice of diet and the type of farming practices that we employ. As we move towards a plant based diet we will have the capacity to grow more food to feed to humans and will not need to cut down forests to make space. We need to lower our land use so that we can turn more land back into forests as fast as possible. 

Organisations: Greenpeace, Sum of Us, Friends of the Earth.

The ocean is a vital and sensitive part of the planet's biodiversity and we have destroyed it, and continue to destroy it at an alarming rate. Overfishing has decimated 90% of large fish in the sea. Chemicals from farming continue to leach into rives and the sea causing 'ocean dead zones' devoid of life.

Marine conservation is a highly worthwhile cause. Donating to environmental organisations that protects our lakes and oceans will have a considerable positive effect on the health of the planet. 

Organisations: Greenpeace, Sum of Us, Friends of the Earth, Compassion in World Farming, PETA.

It's the not the necessarily the number of people on the planet that is the problem (although it doesn't help) but its the amount of resources that are consumed particularly amongst the rich members of society. The richest 1% of people consume more than the poorest 50%. Our children can be taught to use materials more wisely. This is indeed already happening. They can also teach us whilst we teach ourselves. Having less can also be freeing, and recycling, sharing and up-cycling can bring pleasure in themselves. Many people find that the enjoyment from endless spending and consumption can be short lived and maybe lead to dissatisfaction. Organisations: Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Sum of Us.

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