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sustainabletimes
13
www.binfo.co.uk
Providing enhanced social, health
and welfare benefits make this a unique
project that extends its reach way
beyond simple carbon reduction. Data
analysis has revealed that each school
will reduce its firewood usage by at
least 50 per cent and indoor pollution
will be cut by up to 70 per cent – vastly
improving the working environment for
the cooks.
The reduction in the amount of
firewood used plays a vital role in
preventing deforestation, resulting
in enhanced habitat and eco-system
protection. It also reduces the risk
of flooding and means that children
spend more time in school rather than
collecting fuel.
Toshiba TEC’s marketing director,
Jeremy Spencer, commented: “The new
cooking facilities at Buguta Primary
School and Muhaka Secondary School
will play a key role in enhancing their
learning experience. The project is
a great example of Toshiba TEC’s
commitment to environmental
initiatives and CSR programmes, and
we are currently talking to our other
partners about how they can also get
involved.”
In the UK and Europe alone,
the Carbon Zero scheme has
offset a massive 165,503
tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent
of 37,461 return flights from
Düsseldorf to Tokyo.
“
Each school will
reduce their
firewood usage
by at least 50
per cent and
lower indoor
pollution by up
to 70 per cent.
“
Below: The new stoves. Bottom: The staff
and pupils of Muhaka Secondary School
Food for thought
The previous issue of
Sustainable
Times
featured an article that
described how Toshiba TEC had
helped two of its managed services
customers contribute to a project
that provides food preparation
facilities for schools in Kenya.
Coordinated by co2balance, the
leading global carbon management
company, it is part of Toshiba TEC’s
Carbon Zero scheme, an initiative
that ensures that any CO2 produced
during the manufacture and supply of
its multifunction products (MFPs) is
entirely offset.
Work has now been completed and
Buguta Primary School in Taita-Taveta
District, north of Mombasa, now has a
brand new cookhouse. It is helping to
keep pupils in school during lunchtime,
thereby ensuring that they get the best
possible education.
Muhaka Secondary School in
Msambweni District of the Coast
Province is also benefiting from new
cooking facilities. Relatively new, it is
the only secondary school within a
5km radius and has a population of 35
students – a figure that is likely to triple
in the next academic year. Therefore,
ensuring its pupils are able to receive
adequate sustenance during the school
day is of paramount importance.
Less is more
The pioneering Carbon Zero
scheme, which Toshiba TEC
launched in 2009, continues to
evolve. Carbon generated through
its manufacturing process is offset
through a variety of sustainability
based projects and the company
also offers customers the
opportunity to extend the carbon
offsetting process during their
ongoing use of the product.
The Carbon Zero scheme
originated in the UK and has since
been rolled out to Toshiba TEC
companies throughout the world.
Its European division recently signed
a two-year scheme extension,
ensuring that its Carbon Zero
activities will continue into 2014.
Each country has the freedom
to develop its own scheme variants,
which accommodate the specific
requirements of each market. In the
UK, each Toshiba TEC multifunction
product (MFP) is delivered carbon
neutral with the optional ability
to offset the machine’s activities,
enabling positive printing and
copying with no detrimental effect
upon the environment.
Orlaith Palmer, stated: “The
amount of carbon offset so far in
the UK and Europe totals a massive
165,503 tonnes of CO2! To put
this figure into context, it’s the
equivalent of 37,461 return flights
from Düsseldorf to Tokyo. To put
it another way, the average UK
household emits about 10 tonnes
of CO2, so it is the same as that
produced by 16,550 households.”
For more information on
Toshiba TEC’s corporate social
responsibility please visit:
www.toshibatec.co.uk