How Much Difference Can I Make?
For every tonne of CO2 you balance (that costs £13.65), you are helping to support projects such as insulating homes and providing renewable energy in Newcastle and the North East. You, and our other contributors, provide a significant part of the total cost of these projects, which allows our partners to match with funds from other sponsors.
| Contribution | CO2 saving |
|---|---|
| One insulated home: £100 | 25 tonnes over lifetime of insulation |
| One tree: £3 | 1 tonne over growth cycle |
| Solar PV for one flat: £80 | 10 tonnes over lifetime of solar panels |
How much progress has the city made?
Since we launched in October 2003, we have saved over 20000 tonnes of CO2. Over 3000 homes and 700 businesses in Tyne and Wear have signed up to green electricity - 6 times the national average! Over 15,000 homes have been insulated. Over 5000 tonnes of CO2 have been offset and balanced by 20 businesses and organisations. Over 1 million people are reached by our media coverage and use our Train Attraction annually.
If we all did our bit...
At the last count, Newcastle produces approximately 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
The average family home generates 6 tonnes of CO2 per year. It is estimated that approximately 30% of our home energy is wasted, which means we could save 2 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to £300 per year on our energy bills.
If every home in the city saved just ONE tonne of CO2 through simple energy efficiency measures, and balanced ONE tonne of CO2 per year, we would save 250,000 tonnes of CO2 in year one, and take just 14 years to become entirely CarbonNeutral as a city!