1,000 extra UK trees to help communities and hundreds of sites helped with water efficiency – through Water Plus partnership work

The 1,000 trees are on top of the 500 new UK trees the water retailer announced would be planted under its Cleaner Climate Promise – to support communities, biodiversity and habitats.

It also follows 94 initial trees – that started its partnership with the charity Trees for Cities in April 2021.

Amongst other benefits, the trees will help improve air quality, capture CO2 emissions, as well as contribute to managing surface water run-off in the UK, which can cause more flooding.

The initial 94 trees, which were to target areas of higher pollution in England, were put in the soil in Northumberland in the last planting season, which ended in March 2022. Trees for Cities is also helping to highlight water-saving messaging with Water Plus, including how cutting any waste like drips and reducing hot water use can help the planet.

Speaking this week, Rory Field, Partnerships Director at Trees for Cities, said: “Trees for Cities is very pleased to continue our partnership with Water Plus, where we will be planting over 1,000 further urban trees in the coming planting season. These trees will help to absorb air pollution, sequester greenhouse gasses, mitigate surface flooding, provide homes to thousands of species and subspecies – as well as make our communities healthier and happier.

“It’s brilliant to partner with Water Plus as they lead the way on sustainability and raising the profile of actions organisations – and all of us – can take to give a boost to the environment all around us.”

Trees for Cities are the only UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives by planting trees in cities.

Barry McGovaney, Sustainability Lead and Innovation and Technology Manager at Water Plus, said: “Our Cleaner Climate Promise sees us increasing our focus to reduce emissions and cut carbon impacts we can all have each year – from now to the end of 2025 – supporting the UK’s mission to Net Zero and beyond, alongside the wider water industry Net Zero by 2030 commitment.

“We’re also engaging with communities to highlight how saving water – and making what we use go further – can help reduce impacts on the environment – and reduce carbon emissions too. Small, low-cost things like tap aerators can cut hot water and cold water use. If less water needs heating, then less energy needs to be used – so there are less carbon emissions, unless your power is from 100% certified renewable energy already.”

Water Plus works with organisations, including the public sector, providing water retail services to organisations covering billing, customer service and technical water efficiency services, and is increasing tree-planting across England and Scotland as part of its commitment to the environment.

In its awareness raising and engagement work with organisations, the company has helped a rugby club cut its water use by 36% this year, on peak days, and provided over 430 water efficiency devices to a range of sites between December 2021 and the start of April 2022. It also installed 400 data loggers in the space of just six months at sites in 2021, to increase water tracking.

Under the company’s Cleaner Climate Promise, Water Plus is also recognising, each year, organisations looking to reduce their impact on the environment and the amount of carbon released and created.

Suggestions for tree-planting locations in England and Scotland can be made by emailing Water Plus: [email protected] , with the subject heading #Nominatefortrees . Emails should include brief details on the benefit trees would bring to the area recommended and contacts for the location or site. All suggestions will be reviewed.

Water Plus has been increasing green coverage in the UK since 2020 and supported the restoration of peatland in Scotland in the last year, preventing 400 tonnes of carbon being released.

Under the Cleaner Climate Promise, Water Plus is also providing 30 trees this year to EcoPark, run by Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust. As part of the joint work, the Wildlife Trust and Water Plus, which is the largest water retailer in the UK and a Green Apple Environment Award winner, are also highlighting water-saving tips.

More information about the steps to help the environment that Water Plus is taking is on future Net Zero here – and on the Water Plus website here.

This is a promoted article.

Latest Podcast