Since 2011, hera has been investing in CO2 climate offset projects. This year we are delighted to announce that we have joined efforts with “ondernemers zonder grenzen” (Entrepreneurs without borders - OZG) to help offset our air travel and support reforestation efforts in the Sahel.
OZG is a Belgian initiative that is now also a registered NGO working in Burkina Faso.The OZG vision is to support the growth of a continental forest across the African Sahel, creating a Great Green Wall holding back desert encroachments. The Sahel is an ecologically vulnerable semi-arid region that spans the southern border of the Sahara, stretching from Senegal on the Atlantic side to Sudan and the Red sea on the east. Since the 1960’s the region has been subject to increasingly severe and catastrophic droughts. Droughts have led to severe issues of poverty and hunger. The United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification and Drought (UNCCDD) was largely established in response to the situation in the Sahel.
All the forests planted by OZG in the Sahel are Voluntary Emission Reduction (V.E.R.) certified following the Plan Vivo-standard (Kyoto-protocol). OZG is also certified by the UNCCDD. Projects undertaken by OZG employ an empowerment principal that supports autonomy and respects identity and culture. For both OZG and hera the reforestation efforts are projects focused on added value for people and the planet. At hera we work pro-actively to minimize our ecological footprint in all aspects of our activities. Our partnership with OZG is a welcome new initiative.
Click here to find out more about our environmental policies.
Visit the OZG website for more information on their Great Green Wall initiative.
Watch their video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siIW0LG5Du0
