CLEVEL carbon compensation (offsetting) is one key step in being Carbon Balanced - our 3 step approach to understanding, reducing and compensating for climate change impact. 
We currently deliver our carbon compensation through energy efficient cook stove projects. Efficient cooking is delivered through the making, distribution and use of fuel efficient improved cooking stoves that both reduce fuelwood use and indoor smoke pollution.  The projects are implemented by the global charity Practical Action and also by the French NGO, GERES(Groupe Energies Renouvelables Environment et Solidarites).

Practical Action was founded in 1966, as ITDG (the Intermediate Technology Development Group), by the radical economist Dr EF Schumacher to prove that his philosophy of ‘Small is Beautiful’ could bring real and sustainable improvements to people’s lives.

GERES was founded in 1976 by French engineers and academics. It is a not-for-profit organisation with a remit to alleviate poverty using renewable energy.

From 2010 CLEVEL is also offering clients carbon compensation through a social reforestation project in Nicaragua. This can link you or your business closely with local farmers and their reforestation work which both generates income for them and long term ecological benefits.

Broad Benefits
CLEVEL projects are run with international partners to deliver multiple benefits. They are designed to compensate for the CO2 of your carbon footprint and also to provide significant social, ecological or health benefits on the ground. Our projects are also designed to lead to real additional changes. In other words, projects are designed to achieve CO2 and other benefits that would simply not be there without CLEVEL and our customers and clients. This additionality is key. It can only fully apply where funding covers the majority of the project and is not just riding on existing plans and investments. In short CLEVEL projects represent:

• highest quality projects delivered with established partners and careful monitoring
• outstanding local benefits as well as full CO2 compensation
• real world additional benefits as a direct result of our Carbon Balancing

Awareness Raising
As well as offering projects that provide carbon compensation for the footprints of our customers and clients, we also recognise the importance of smaller projects that can significantly raise awareness on climate change and low carbon lifestyles. These may generate CO2 savings, but not in ways we can account for to deliver high quality carbon compensation. In the UK, we are working with the Institute of Development Studies to raise awareness on wind power with local children. IDS are funding the installation of small scale wind turbines on local primary schools, providing educational resources on climate change and energy use.