TerraClear receives the first-ever issuance of GS-VERs from a clean water project in Lao PDR
TerraClear, a social enterprise developing water purifier technology, has received the first ever issuance of carbon credits for a clean water project in Lao PDR.
PHNOM PENH — TerraClear has been issued 9,249 Gold Standard Verified Emission Reduction credits (GS-VER) for emissions avoided between July 2012 and July 2014. This emission reduction is equivalent to taking over 3,400 cars off the road for one year. This marks the first time that GS-VERs from a clean water project in Lao PDR have been issued by the Gold Standard.
“This is a very exciting and significant achievement for our clean water project and is an important step in helping enable TerraClear to continue to deliver clean drinking water to at-risk people throughout the rural communities in Laos,” said Craig Heininger, Director of TerraClear Development.
n Lao PDR, 69% of households must boil their water before it is safe to drink, often using fuelwood from non-renewable biomass sources. TerraClear’s ceramic water purifier technology prevents CO2e emissions by eliminating the need to boil water. By reducing the amount of wood fuel that households burn, fewer CO2e emissions are created. In addition to protecting the climate, the avoided fuel burning also helps conserve Lao forests, saves households money on fuel and bottled water purchases, and improves air quality by reducing the amount of smoke created.
Prior to achieving this first issuance, TerraClear established a successful partnership with Nexus, a nonprofit cooperative specializing in carbon projects. Nexus helped TerraClear throughout the certification process, corresponding with the Gold Standard on technical details in the lead up to registration and issuance. Nexus will continue working with TerraClear, helping them to achieve their full potential through the sale of GS-VER credits.
“We are very excited to be promoting the work that TerraClear is delivering on the ground in Lao PDR,” said Ana Aires Carpinteiro, Corporate Partnerships and Communications Director at Nexus. “This issuance is an important milestone that will help TerraClear extend clean water access to more rural areas in the years to come.”
The funds received from the sale of GS-VERs will help TerraClear to scale up its impact, in an effort to provide 100,000 locally made purifiers to the people of Lao PDR by 2019.
– END –
For more information on carbon credit sales, please contact: Ms. Ana Aires Carpinteiro a.aires@nexusfordevelopment.org