About

The Aeris Futuro Foundation’s mission is to effectively counteract climate change, protect and enhance biological and landscape diversity, support local communities’ development, and promote corporate responsibility.

The Foundation as the first in Poland emphasized the role of trees in climate change mitigation. The first CO2 Calculator in Poland was created to measure a carbon footprint and identify the number of trees needed to offset its effects.

The Foundation’s motto: Let’s create a climate for the future.

Main projects:

Time for Forests A programme aimed at neutralizing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by planting trees. Thus far, approximately 450 000 tree saplings have been planted. The following institutions and companies have partnered with the Foundation on this campaign: DELL, Rockwool Poland, Fortis Foundation Poland, Fortis Bank, IKEA, Radisson SAS Cracow, The Sendzimir Foundation, Gazeta Prawna newspaper. The project is held under the honourable patronage of the Minister of the Environment.

Carbon Neutral Events The Foundation offers consulting services concerning the estimation of the potential influence of conferences, training sessions, festivals etc. on the natural environment. Furthermore, we work with our partners to find ways to reduce this environmental impact and compensate for unavoidable emissions.

Our experiences thus far have included:

• ‘Sustainable Development’ conference in Warsaw , organised by Responsible Business
  Forum (October 2008)
• Vishegrad Summer School (July 2008)
• Coaching Skills Training, as an element of Leadership Development Program ‘Wzorcownia’
  held by League of Responsible Business (March 2008)
• ‘Challenges of Sustainable Development’ course organized by The Sendzimir Foundation
  (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008);
• ‘Public transport as the precondition for Lublin’s Sustainable Development and Competitiveness’
  Conference – with MPK Lublin as the main organizer (April 2007)
• ‘CO2 emission trading’ Conference organized by Gazeta Prawna (November 2006)

Responsible Development Organizing and running conferences, training sessions, events, teambuilding trips concerning responsible business, sustainable transport, tourism, climate change, and forestry. Our last conference in February of this year, and was organized in cooperation with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Poland and Villa Decius. The project partners were VATTENFALL Poland, TP SA, MARR.

Dedicate a Tree This project enables everyone to give the gift of a tree, which the Foundation will subsequently plant and ensure it is nurtured. Everybody who has received or given the gift of a tree is offered a commemorative card with a dedication, the photo of the planted tree and a map pinpointing the localization of the tree. It is also possible to take part in the tree-planting personally. So far, several hundred people have dedicated a tree to their loved ones. Trees are planted in different regions of Poland, including THE FOREST OF LOVERS in Zawoja and on the GREENWAYS Cracow-Moravia-Vienna.

Grant Program Supports greenery initiatives (afforestation, growing woodlots) financially and logistically (training and advising). These initiatives have been led by everyone from local government departments, non-governmental organizations and local communities.

KNOWLEDGE IN THE FOREST

This education project is directed at schools and kindergartens.
It includes lectures in educational institutions, collaborative tree-planting and art contests.

The Foundation works with many institutions, non-governmental organizations, Polish and foreign experts. We strongly believe in the power and transformative strength of cooperation. It is a member of two national coalitions of NGOs – Climate Coalition and Lanckoronska Coalition for Sustainable Development in Transport.

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Strategy

Our climate neutral strategy is:

• Estimating AFF annual carbon footprint
• Switching to e-bills and expand electronic archives of AFF documents
• Incorporating more green energy in our sources of energy
• Rasing awareness on our website on our activities towards carbon neutrality
• Searching and choosing partners who are driven by eco-priorities
• Planting trees in order to offset AFF memebers’ participants

Setting good practices

We really believe in the message that we are trying to get across in Poland. That is why we made an effort to reduce our own carbon footprint in our office. We:

Reduced the energy by:

• Installing energy-efficient light bulbs;
• Switching-off all of the office devices when not in use;
• Keeping windows closed in winter and open in summer..

Reduced our paper usage by:

• Printing documents on both sides;
• Printing on a recycled paper;
• Refuse printing documents of low priority;
• Paper recycling as well as plastic and glass

Water and transportation:

• Priority to local and fair trade products
• Sensible water usage;
• Use normal cups rather than plastic or paper ones ;
• Commute sustainably – employers get to the office by bike or public transport; for longer distances we use mainly public transport (rail, bus)
• Use video-conference in order to limit real-life meetings, which always result in transport-related high emissions.

Activities

Our the most important project is TIME FOR FOREST. Time for Forest is a nationwide project under the honorable patronage of The Minister of Environment. It helps business, institutions and individuals to compensate their carbon dioxide emission by planting trees throughout Poland.

Forests constitute an invaluable factor in the ecological balance, especially because they sequester CO2 from the air.

Project goals;

• To present methods, create possibilities and inspire practical activities which reduce the concentration and emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), especially carbon dioxide (CO2);
• To raise awareness among businesses, governments and individuals by providing information
  on CO2 emissions and its impact on the environment - encouraging to become "carbon
  responsible";
• To promote education, training and public awareness related to climate change and afforestation and encourage the widest participation in this process;
• To promote and cooperate in the conservation and enhancement of sinks and gasholders of all GHGs;
• To promote sustainable development, especially sustainable forestry and sustainable agriculture in the aspect of climate protection;
• To promote alternative energy sources and alternative means of transport;
• To participate in and create partnerships and coalitions for counteracting climate change, for energy saving and increasing biodiversity and forest cover;
• To promote and help with the implementation of international conventions and Polish legal acts concerning greenhouse gases, climate changes and forest, especially the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and Polish National Programme for Augmentation of Forest Cover, and climate, energy and transport policies;
• To cooperate with national and international organizations, working in the areas of sustainable development, climate protection, forest management and afforestation.

Carbon Neutral Events

Consultancy concerning estimation of the influence which conferences, trainings, festivals etc. have on the natural environment as well as ways of limiting and compensating for this influence.

Calculator CO₂

First such a tool in Poland placed on our web page (www.aeris.eko.org.pl) which enables to measure carbon footprint, which is the emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced by a company, organization or a single person and number of trees to offset (‘compensate’) it.

You can also get to know how to reduce your CO2 emission. We point out sustainable means of transportation or energy use and advise to use them. We also give advice on how to reduce the carbon footprint in an office, during an event or conference.

YOUTH AND ADULT EDUCATION

The foundation believes that ecological education is a crucial action to create a sustainable society in the future. That is why we teach children and adults in local communities or global companies about the global warming, climate change and what we can do to reduce negative impact on the environment.

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Photo Gallery