As part of our mission to look at the bigger picture in terms of our impact on the planet as a business, and how we can help to protect and safeguard the environment, Tentsile joined the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) in 2018. This means we donate an annual fee for membership with all costs going to fund carefully selected conservation projects across the world.
EOCA has a membership of 160 companies from the outdoor industry based throughout Europe who are all committed to being active leaders in conservation and enabling their customers to also make a positive difference to nature and the environment. EOCA champion the belief that by working together we can make a difference through funding conservation projects, education and awareness raising.
‘The outdoor sector and the millions of people who enjoy the great outdoors are active champions for the conservation of nature and wild places’. EOCA
Over the last 2 years, EOCA focused on plastic pollution and in 2020 EOCA and its members cleared 4540km of plastic in their Plastic Free: Mountain to Sea project, surpassing their 3000km target. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, in the same year they funded 16 projects and fundraised €100,000! To date, EOCA has supported 140 conservation projects, planted 3.2m trees and protected 4.4m hectares in 56 different countries – wow!
Their five year strategy will focus on the Climate Emergency and in the next two years, specifically on biodiversity loss, one of the top 5 risks facing society today. The aim will be to protect against further habitat and biodiversity loss on land and in the oceans while also benefiting the local communities.
One way to do this is through natural climate solutions, by allowing the carbon in the atmosphere to be soaked up by the habitats and ecosystems. To help this process existing ecosystems must be protected, new ones created and areas that have been destroyed must be rewilded. EOCA has selected 9 conservation projects to fund over the next 2 years, all of which will conserve threatened biodiversity, store carbon, involve and benefit local communities, alleviate poverty and provide an ecosystem service such as clean water.
Follow us on Social to stay up to date with EOCA’s upcoming Earth Day Fundraiser, and learn how you can take part in their public vote to select projects for funding.
To read more about EOCA or to get involved, visit their website https://www.eocaconservation.org
Here are some steps we can all take to reduce carbon emissions – even adopting just a handful of these simple everyday changes can make a huge impact:
- Don’t waste food and compost what you do dispose of where possible
- Minimise food packaging; buy in bulk
- Have a more plant-based diet and eat organic and local produce
- Avoid fast fashion
- Wash your clothes at a lower temperature
- Avoid single-use plastic. Reduce, reuse, recycle
- Don’t waste energy e.g switch lights off when you leave the room and unplug devices when not in use
- Switch to green energy
- Drive less. Walk, cycle and take public transport when possible
- Make sure your car is running efficiently
- Offset your air travel carbon emissions – donate trees here
- Vote for Green policies
- Support environmentally responsible companies
The EOCA Spring 2021 Public Vote for Conservation is open. Help choose which conservation projects EOCA supports this year - all projects on the shortlist plan to tackle the issues of biodiversity loss and the climate emergency. You can vote once in each of the 3 categories - WATER, FOREST and WILDPLACES
Votes close 9th April. Who will get your vote?
