Our equation actually starts with 50 cars on their way to Tunisia. They are going to participate in the VW GOLF CHALLENGE 2022. To get to their initial destination and start the raid route they use maritime transport. At their destination they will spend 10 days, 9 nights of accommodation and 1 night of bivouac (how exciting!!!). Why is this data important, because the organizers of the challenge decided to calculate their carbon footprint. They are concerned about the impact they have on the field, in fact they have a leitmotiv of cooperation: participants must contribute by helping the locals whenever there is an opportunity and providing school supplies in the area. They have a solidarity project and now also a sustainable one, because the purpose of calculating their carbon footprint is to offset it.
But let’s soak up the spirit of the event before we get to the woods, let’s go to the desert first:
It’s time for an adventure in a Volkswagen Golf: driving through Tunisia from north to south and from west to east as part of the Volkswagen Golf Challenge 2022 caravan. Everything departs from the port of Marseille, in France, to board the ferry that takes 50 cars to Tunisia. They had a 20-hour journey ahead of them, which in reality took more than 30 hours due to the stormy sea conditions. But the sacrifice was worth it. There was a great desire to visit the Arab country. The day at the Golf Challenge begins with a brief briefing, and then each participant goes out to do the route a little at their own pace, without rushing. Think that this is a non-competitive raid, it is rather a tourist route, for pure pleasure. It is a raid to enjoy the car, the country and above all, the good atmosphere among the participants. The Volkswagen Golf Challenge involves people from all walks of life: company executives, retired car enthusiasts, young up-and-comers and even the occasional celebrity.
Leaving the more urbanized north of Tunisia and heading south, traffic slows down and roads cross large uninhabited plains, linking villages separated by long distances. But at all times the Challenge Spirit prevails: mutual collaboration and good vibes.
Tunisia is a country with about 12 million inhabitants, living mostly in the north of the country. The south is perceived as a poorer and more rural environment, a place of more difficult subsistence. The South of Tunisia is also the place where this year’s Volkswagen Golf Challenge decided to carry out its solidarity action and deliver school supplies, clothes or toys among the children they saw along the way.
Between village and village, the roads and tracks near the Algerian border offer a more inhospitable, desolate and arid landscape. It is easy to see dromedaries on the roadside or crossing the track, at their own pace, and also tongues of sand that cross the road at will, forcing you to slow down to avoid flying off. The tracks become even more deserted and lonely.
But after the desert come the forests. Here we go:
The VW GOLF CHALLENGE has generated 65 tons of CO2. How did they find out? Because our association (AHC) has helped them to measure it by conducting a study based on the data we mentioned at the beginning: people, cars, shipping, accommodation, food and local purchases.
So to compensate for these tons, it is proposed to plant 426 trees: 325 Mangroves in Madagascar and 101 Palosantos in Nepal. It is carried out in collaboration with Tree-nation. With this project they avoid massive deforestation, protect biodiversity, improve the quality of life of the population and reduce poverty, contribute to the social economy and water management.
We have now reached the end of our success story. We started in the desert and ended up with two forests!
A big round of applause to the VW GOLF CHALLENGE for making this possible.
- If you want more information about the experience: http://www.vwgolfchallenge.com
- Learn more about the forest: http://www.vwgolfchallenge.com/responsabilidad-social/
A big thank you to TREE NATIONS for making it happen.
- Come in and get to know the forest: https://tree-nation.com/es/perfil/emotion-sports-and-nature
At AHC we are proud to have been part of this history.
- If you want us to help you carry out a carbon footprint offsetting project for your company: CONTACT US!
Asociación Huella de Carbono – Non-profit NGO (asociacionhuelladecarbono.org)
#treenation#haircarbonfloatpartnership#climatechange#climatechange#carbonfloat #carbonfootprint#sustainability#environment#biodiversity#netzero#climateaction
