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Naturesave Insurance funds £1m into The Naturesave Trust

Naturesave Insurance funds £1m into The Naturesave Trust

Ethical Insurance company reaches million-pound charity milestone

A Devon-based insurance provider has just achieved the unusual landmark of giving £1m of its income to charity.

Naturesave, an award-winning insurance provider, has achieved the unusual landmark of giving £1m of its income to UK projects promoting sustainability. Former Lloyds insurance broker, Mathew Criddle (pictured), founded the company in 1993 when the environmental movement in business was in its infancy. Criddle established Naturesave as an ethical insurance provider to encourage the insurance industry in the greater adoption of sustainable development:

“I realised that, although the insurance industry was not taking environmental issues seriously, it

would be in the front line in dealing with the consequences of environmental disasters. At the same time, it possesses an almost unparalleled potential to reduce the impact of climate change by actively promoting the production and consumption of sustainable alternatives to energy derived from fossil fuels. I also wanted to develop a sustainable business model that reflected the growing demand by individuals and organisations for greener and more ethical insurance.”

Naturesave provides insurance to individuals, businesses and charitable organisations and is a specialist in ‘eco’ houses and renewable energy systems. The company also provides specialist insurance services to important green sectors of the economy. From the outset, it has donated 10% of its household and travel insurance premiums into its charity, the Naturesave Trust. The Trust provides grants of between £500 and £5,000 to small-scale, grassroots environmental and conservation projects, organisations and charities in the UK

The diverse range of the 500-plus funded projects include, renewable energy, low carbon transport, nature conservation, community agriculture, recycling and repair and eco-education. Past and present recipients of Naturesave Trust funds include: the Solar Bee Project whose innovative beehive design can eradicate the deadly Varroa mite without using toxic pesticides; trials by the Marine Conservation Society of a boat-mooring system that protects the seabed from damage done by conventional moorings and allows areas of seagrass to regenerate; a start-up grant for low-emission light rail transport using flywheel technology; grants to open ‘repair cafes’, a project to enable prisoners to refurbish bikes; and a land restoration project in West Wales that uses pigs to restore areas overrun with bracken back to their original, biodiverse-rich state. Full details of all the projects funded by the Naturesave Trust can be found at www.naturesave.co.uk.

Alongside grant-funding, an additional Trust program provides bespoke professional advice, based on the Bioregional’s One Planet Living Framework, to small and medium-sized companies that want to make their trading practices more sustainable.

After nearly 30 years, Naturesave has firmly establish itself as the leading ethical insurance provider in the UK. Its achievements have been recognised in numerous awards, most notably the Queens Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development. In 2011, it pioneered a policy of encouraging staff to choose low carbon holiday travel by offering additional paid holiday for those who opt not to fly. This policy has since been developed into the Climate Perks Initiative and is now being adopted by leading eco conscious organisations.

Reflecting on these achievements Criddle says, “We’re delighted to have reached this milestone, especially during such a challenging year for businesses. There has never been a more critical time for the work of the Naturesave Trust and there are many projects that we would like to support that can make a real difference to people and the planet. I would like to thank all our loyal customers and stakeholders for helping Naturesave to achieve this”

ENDS

Westmill Wind and Westmill Solar Become Fair Tax Mark Accredited

Westmill Wind Farm And Westmill Solar Become First Community Energy Co-operatives to Secure Fair Tax Mark

Oxfordshire-based Westmill Wind Farm and Westmill Solar have today (10th November) secured their first Fair Tax Mark certifications, and join the growing movement of responsible businesses who are proud to ‘say what they pay with pride’.

The two renewable energy co-operatives are co-located on agricultural land in Oxfordshire and pursued Fair Tax Mark certification in parallel.

Westmill Wind Farm was the first 100% community owned onshore wind farm to be built in the south of England. Its five turbines came online in 2008 and produce low-carbon electricity equivalent to that used by over 2,500 households per annum.

Westmill Solar began operating in 2012 and was, at the time, the world’s largest co-operatively run, community-owned solar park. It is made up of 20,000 polycrystalline PV panels that generate the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of over 1,600 homes.

The Fair Tax Mark is an independent certification, which recognises organisations that demonstrate they are paying the right amount of corporation tax in the right place, at the right time. More than 55 businesses have now been certified. These include national brands such as Timpson, Lush, and Richer Sounds, FTSE listed companies including SSE and Marshalls Plc., as well as co-operatives, family businesses and social enterprises.

Mark Luntley, Westmill Wind Farm, Chair said: “We are delighted to have jointly received this accreditation with Westmill Solar. Taxes are the price of a civilised society, they pay for the public services we all use. As member co-operatives we see paying correct taxes as part of our commitment to the seventh co-operative principle – concern for community.”

Tom Parkinson, Westmill Solar, Chair said: “The Westmill energy co-operatives were founded to pioneer a cleaner energy system and a more sustainable world. A fair tax system is essential to both – and so something that all organisations should crave.”

Paul Monaghan, Chief Executive, Fair Tax Mark, said: “We are delighted to announce that two of the UK’s pioneers of community-led, renewable energy generation have newly secured the Fair Tax Mark. Westmill Wind and Westmill Solar are inspiring co-operatives that demonstrate a deep commitment to responsible tax conduct, and grasp how important this is to the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy. Their certification has been supported by Energy4All (who were accredited in 2019) and Ethex.

“The public rightly expects responsible behaviour, but far too often they’re reading headlines that describe the tactics businesses employ to avoid contributing the tax they should to the public purse. It is estimated that annually, due to corporate profits being shifted to tax havens, corporate tax revenue losses in the UK amount to at least £7bn. Just think of the nurses, doctors and teachers we could employ, or the renewable energy infrastructure we could build if that tax was paid as it should be?”

Polling* commissioned by the Fair Tax Mark from ICM has recently found record levels of post-covid concern among the public about the use of tax avoidance practices by business in the UK. Over three-quarters of people responded said that they would rather shop with (79%) or work for (82%) a business that can prove it is paying its fair share of tax. Eight in ten people (82%) believe businesses benefiting from Government bailouts should be forced to agree terms that prohibit tax avoidance and enforce responsible tax conduct.

* 2020 ICM Omnibus: a nationally representative omnibus survey of c.2,000 adults across GB between 15th and 17th May 2020.

Energy4All are also Fair Tax Mark accredited and have been for a number of years.  Click here  to see the full tax policy that we have committed to.

Westmill Fair Tax PR

Centenary Solar Installation for Energy4All’s Mike Smyth

Centenary Solar Installation for Energy4All's Mike Smyth

The installation of solar panels on the roof of Salisbury Cathedral’s cloisters was already a momentous occasion as it demonstrated the historical Cathedral’s twenty-first century commitment to help tackle climate change.  However, the moment also made history for Energy4All’s Mike Smyth as it marked the centenary solar installation that he has been involved with.

Mike’s first solar installation was a 50kW solar system on Rodborough School in Surrey.  This was commissioned in September 2011 by the then newly formed Wey Valley Solar Schools Energy Co-operative and holds fond memories to Mike as this is his local school.  The one hundredth installation at Salisbury Cathedral saw the installation of a 36.8kW solar system take place nine years later in July 2020.

Mike has always been passionately concerned about the environment and proudly chaired the Board of Friends of the Earth Trust up until 2012.  Since 2008 he has been very much involved with the Energy4All family where he is now volunteer chair at both Energy4All and The Schools’ Energy Co-operative as well as Wey Valley Solar Schools Energy Co-operative.

Rodborough School