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8000 photographers
390 stock agencies

Greenhouse gas reduction programme

Alamy, one of the world's largest online photographic agencies, has been working since 2004 to offset some of the effects of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere through air travel and office electricity use.

In 2004 it offset its emissions with contributions to Climate Care and in 2005 used the offsets to pay for a project to supply solar powered electric lanterns to low-income families in Kerala, India.

Over this period it has become clear that a much bigger commitment is necessary to reduce the impact the company has on the environment. To this end Alamy has launched a number of new initiatives to help achieve its goal of making the company 'carbon neutral'.

These include:

• £50,000 (approx. $100,000 USD) 'start-up' funding for greenhouse gas saving projects in Kerala, India where the long term potential for greenhouse gas emissions saving extends beyond the initial investment.
• Further investment in videoconferencing technology to reduce travel between its offices in India and the UK.
• Greenhouse gas emission reduction targets to be included in the objectives of managers where relevant.
• 'Double offsets' - restarting contributions to third party offset organizations.
• Sourcing electricity from renewable sources where possible.

The table below shows the amount of greenhouse gases Alamy has released into the atmosphere through the flights it makes and the electricity it uses. It has decided to publish the figures to illustrate how its growing business is affecting the environment.

CEO James West said: "It is important to recognize the relationship between economic growth and environmental impact. We want to be transparent about our emissions and what we are doing to tackle the problem."

The company plans to update the figures as it pursues new and more effective ways of reducing the impact its activities have on the environment.

Year	Annual Estimated Emissions (Metric Tonnes)
	Flights	Electricity	Total
2004	104	156	260
2005	151	176	327