Helping Our Planet – Planting Trees

We plant a tree on completion of every mortgage

Yellow Brick Mortgages is a company built around our ethos of providing exceptional customer service and giving back to our community. This has been realised by our customer reviews, our giving to our local charity partners on completion of every mortgage, free advice for NHS staff and our many local club sponsorships.

It is also, however, very important that we also do our bit for the environment and the planet we live on. We have therefore created a partnership with (more:trees) to enable us to plant a tree for every mortgage we complete upon.

Yellow Brick Mortgages is already close to carbon neutral due to the following reasons:

  • 97.6% of us work from home full time
  • We primarily work remotely by video call and phone appointments (face to face only when preferred by client)
  • Our systems allow completely paperless working where wanted
  • We have no large offices, saving on energy costs and emissions
  • We strive towards limited mileage emissions across all members of the YBM family

So, it is our hope that with our planting of trees on every completed mortgage, we will be having a net positive impact on the world in which we live and helping to preserve it for future generations.

Whilst going forward we will plant trees monthly based on the previous months completed mortgages, we did not want this to be just a going forward initiative, we believe it is something we should have been doing from inception. Therefore, on this basis we are starting by planting 3,550 trees, one for every completed mortgage since our inception up to the end of October 2021, with the monthly planting from November 2021 onwards. This means we have already had a great impact on the planet thanks to all the customers who have used us for a mortgage since we were founded.

Why we work with (more:trees)

(more:trees) work on a few carefully chosen projects around the world, where the need is greatest and the impact most important.
They work with a variety of tree planters who;

  • Understand local growing conditions
  • Which saplings to plant in specific conditions
  • Optimum time to plant and seasonal challenges
  • How to nurture the forest for thriving growth and CO 2 sequestration


Their current projects are:

Madagascar

Reforesting Ankarafantsika National Park with dry deciduous forest to restore natural habitats and reduce the effects of climate change.

Established as a national park in 2002, Ankarafantskia plays a fundamental role in supporting Madagascan wildlife, inhabitants and culture. It’s home to around 820 different species of animals, including 130 different birds. It also provides a source of water for rice paddies, equips locals with resources for their daily basic needs, and is home to a number of spiritual sites important to the local Malagasy culture.

Unfortunately, Ankarafantskia has been a victim to deforestation, which has led to problematic climatic events including cyclones, droughts and floods. In turn, these have destroyed houses, ruined crops, decreased land fertility and endangered Madagascar’s much loved wildlife while causing poverty and hunger By empowering local communities to plant trees in Ankaragantskia, (more:trees) can help reduce poverty, aid conservation and improve the lives and wellbeing of locals and native species.

Mida Creek, Kenya

Our designated site in Kenya, where we’re planting a variety of native mangrove trees to help water supplies, reduce flooding, and reignite the local economy.

Mida Creek is a tidal inlet on the east coast of Africa, in Kenya. It’s tucked away in a small village called Dabaso, but what isn’t small is the huge amount of wildlife and sea life attracted to the area. Surrounded by eight types of mangroves and lined by palms, the tidal creek is home to beds of seagrass and coral, numerous species of fish, feeding sea turtles, crabs and an array of migratory birds. The creek is also fundamental to the local community, providing subsistence and income from fishing and farming.

Large scale mangrove deforestation from land cleared for fuelwood, charcoal, prawns and salt production, coupled with the destructive El Niño in 1997 (warming of sea temperatures) has led to limited fresh water, declining wild fisheries, soil and coastal erosion and reduced food sources. In turn, this is leading to extreme poverty, reduced wildlife and endangered sea life. We can help overcome these problems by planting trees in Mida Creek, employing local villagers to plant native tree species and work to restore the local environment while lifting communities out of poverty.

South East Haiti

Planting a variety of indigenous agroforestry trees in poverty-stricken areas to enhance food security and provide incomes.

An idyllic tourist destination, Haiti is known for its crystal-clear waters, miles of breath-taking beaches and friendly locals. But that’s not all, Haiti’s forests, mountains and coasts are also home to a colourful array of wildlife and sea life, not to mention an estimated 5,600 plant species. No wonder it’s considered one of the most biologically significant countries of the West Indies.

However, Haiti is a fragile nation, often plagued by natural disasters and political unrest that leads to extreme poverty, deforestation and devastation. With your help, we can provide Haitians with the means to sustainably grow their own food, restore their local environment, and rebuild local economies through tree planting. By working with locals to plant mangrove and agroforestry trees, we can improve food security, restore ocean health, enhance soil quality, and boost natural resources and defences against climate change, while pulling people out of poverty.

How are the tree-planting partners vetted?

Extensively. (more:trees) heavily research every partner they work with to ensure:

  • They are planting the trees and have reliable methods for accounting for seeds, saplings and trees planted.
  • They’re planting trees in a way to maximise survival rates (e.g., only planting indigenous tree species and planting in the right seasons).
  • They’re making a positive impact in the local community (e.g., educating locals, planting agroforestry trees, supporting different projects).

The planted trees have a survival rate of 80% which is extremely good compared to many other such projects around the world.

How can you help?

We take care of everything to pay for the planting of a tree for every mortgage we complete, so all you have to do is use our services, knowing that on completion we will plant a tree thanks to you doing business with us. You can check on our tree planting progress at:
https://moretrees.eco/forest/YellowBrickMortgages and within the footer of our website

Useful Links

Why Yellow Brick Mortgages