Ripple Africa Partnership

Conservatory Outlet in partnership with Ripple Africa, a UK Registered Charity Working in Africa.

This charity is involved with education, healthcare, and a real emphasis on environmental projects in Malawi, Africa.

Since 2006, Ripple Africa has helped 176 tree nurseries plant over 3 million trees.  Conservatory Outlet has now agreed to fund 20 of these tree nurseries which equates to a minimum of 72,000 trees to be planted every year.  This equates to one tree for every window frame or door produced in our factory or at least fifty trees planted for every conservatory or orangery installed by our dealers.

Trees in Malawi are being cut down at an alarming rate. An area of forest the size of a football pitch is cut down every 10 minutes. This tree planting project is centred in Nkhata Bay District, Malawi, Africa, an area of 4,000 sq.km which is about the size of Kent.

Ripple Africa are planting a combination of indigenous, exotic, and fruit trees. The main aims of the project are:

• to provide sustainable timber in woodlots for firewood, building
• to restore degraded land by planting indigenous trees
• to provide additional food using fruit trees and nitrogen-fixing trees
• to help conserve existing forests.

Planting trees is a practical way to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, so we feel this partnership is a good way to help fight climate change, whilst at the same time helping very poor people alleviate poverty and develop local sustainable livelihoods.

Ripple Africa has enabled local communities in Malawi to plant over 3 million trees since 2006. These trees will help to address global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide, and it is estimated that they will absorb at least 90,000 tonnes of carbon. This would offset the annual carbon emissions of at least 9,000 people living in the West.

In addition to the tree planting programme, 30 groups have been set up to make fuel-efficient wood burning clay stoves (mbaula). Each one of these stoves can potentially save 80 small/medium trees from being cut down each year for firewood.

The partnership with Ripple Africa is just one part of an environmental policy Conservatory Outlet has put in place, which also includes policies to reduce its carbon footprint, and pioneering the sale of 'A' Rated Energy Efficient Windows.

You can contact Ripple Africa or visit their website at www.rippleafrica.org