Thomson, First Choice and their customers have raised over £2 million through the companies’ joint fundraising scheme, the ‘World Care Fund’. The money raised is split between ClimateCare and The Travel Foundation, who organise projects benefiting the environment and local communities overseas. ClimateCare is using some of the money raised to go towards a new wind farm in Turkey, which is listed on the prestigious Gold Standard registry.

The Belen wind farm is the third carbon offsetting project funded by Thomson and First Choice’s World Care Fund to be listed by Gold Standard and will begin generating electricity in Hatay in October 2009.

The farm, close to the resort of Belen, will consist of 20 wind turbines, which expect to generate 97,000 MWh of electricity each year. This would be enough to power 22,500 family UK households with electricity for a year. The wind turbines, once fully operational, will generate an annual saving of more around 62,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide when compared to the carbon emissions that would have otherwise occurred if electricity had been generated using fossil fuels.

The Belen wind farm is the second World Care Fund project in Turkey. In September, Thomson and First Choice announced their support of the Mazi wind farm, close to the holiday resorts of Marmaris and Bodrum, The Belen and Mazi wind farms follow on from the success of our Gold Standard hydro-electric project in Zambia, which is also supported by donations from First Choice and Thomson customers. It will provide schools and a local hospital with reliable and consistent electricity for the first time, with the added benefit of it being from a renewable energy source.

The Belen project will create new jobs during construction, reduce pollution in the area, and will be used to promote wind power as an alternative power source throughout Turkey. Rapid development is leading to increased demand for energy in Turkey, so supplying clean energy is of utmost importance for the country.

Originally launched by First Choice in 2007, the World Care Fund gives customers the opportunity to donate £1 per adult and fifty pence per child on an opt-out basis, which is then matched by the company. First Choice and Thomson are committed to initiatives aimed at reducing the impact that their business has on the environment, and increasing its positive economic and social effects in destinations.

James Whittingham, Group Environment Manager, said: “We would like to thank our customers for their generous contributions to the World Care Fund. Raising £2 million together is a fantastic achievement and proof that customers do care about the impact their holiday has on the environment and local people. I hope our customers will be as pleased as we are that their money has helped support the new Belen wind farm in Turkey. It’s exciting that this third ClimateCare project, supported by the World Care Fund, is also passing through the Gold Standard’s rigorous vetting processes.”

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