Together with the project developer myclimate, every year three of the many high-quality myclimate carbon offset projects are selected that meet ecological and social requirements and thus benefit nature and people. The Barmenia employees can vote on their preferred project. This year, certified carbon offset projects in Rwanda Africa, Mongolia and Nepal were up for selection. 46.9 percent of the employees chose the project in Rwanda to preserve the habitats of the last mountain gorillas. "For a long time, the projects were on a par with each other until the forest fires in Australia began, in which over a billion animals died. I suspect that this is one of the reasons why the mountain gorillas won the race," explains Bongwald.
Climate protection project protects the environment, creates habitat for animals and supports people
The project subsidises energy-efficient cookers for families around the Volcanoes National Park in northwest Rwanda. These stoves require less firewood, thus avoiding deforestation and preserving the habitat of the mountain gorillas. Rwanda is home to about 600 mountain gorillas, making it the world's largest population of 1,000 animals. At the same time, greenhouse gases are reduced because cooking over an open fire is no longer necessary. Since the cookers reduce the development of smoke, health problems such as asthma in girls and women, who often spend time indoors, can be reduced.
Climate balance since 2015
Since 2015 Barmenia has been publishing the CO2 balance of its head office. This takes into account business travel, the consumption of energy, water and paper, the disposal of waste and the loss of cooling and extinguishing agents. Compared to the previous year, CO2 emissions have been reduced by almost half. Barmenia has achieved a good status quo through extensive environmental and energy management, which is also repeatedly confirmed by external auditors. However, last year's savings are primarily due to the conversion of the district heating network by the Wuppertal public utility company.