We are passionate about our planet and we want our impact on it to be a positive one. However, we know that just being in the world – let alone being a large global organization – means we’re producing carbon emissions, and that’s no good for our environment. The more carbon we pump out into the atmosphere, the faster our planet warms – and that means melting ice caps, rising sea levels and more extreme weather in the form of droughts, floods and wildfires.
We can ease the impact by making the most of advancing eco-technology and opting for sustainable choices where possible, but at the end of the day we need to travel, we must turn on lights, and we can’t help but accumulate some waste. The only way to counteract the carbon emissions associated with these activities is carbon offsetting – so that’s what we do.
Working with Ekos, a New Zealand based social enterprise, the carbon emissions of Les Mills’ Auckland, Tokyo, Shanghai, London, Chicago, Hamburg, Stockholm, Dubai and São Paulo offices are measured, externally reviewed and offset through projects based in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
One of these projects is the Drawa project, which involves protecting 3,945ha of rainforest from logging in Vanua Levu, Fiji. This community-owned initiative is fostering resilience against environmental degradation and weather events, sustainable income and seed capital for other spin-off community businesses. Sean Weaver, Ekos Director, reports that the people of this project in Fiji are extremely grateful.
“Vinaka vaka levu sara – kemuni sa tamata vinaka dina; which translates to ‘Thank you very much, you are awesome’. Your do-good actions are helping secure their future’.”
Our global carbon offsetting program also gives our individual team members the opportunity to understand their personal impact and easily offset their carbon emissions. Thanks to Ekos we have access to a Personal Carbon Emissions Calculator which allows individuals to understand the environmental impact of their personal choices. It takes into account everything from holiday travel to meat consumption, waste disposal, power consumption and what type of vehicle they drive. For those based in New Zealand, there is an easy option to offset their personal carbon emissions. It’s often a very small amount, with the average cost being US$6 every two weeks.
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