BY GAIL BARNES SUSTAINABILITY SPECIALIST
Conservation-conscious consumers will now be able to enjoy a cup of tea and know that they are helping elephants in the process! Particularly good news for British tea consumers, who each consume around 265 litres of the UK’s national beverage every year.
The Williamson Tea Foundation has announced that it is extending its commitment to caring for the natural environment by supporting the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. Called the “tea for elephants” initiative, £1 from the sale of every elephant caddy purchased on the Williamson Tea website will be donated to the charity.
Born from Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick’s passion for Kenya and it’s wilderness, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT), named for her husband, is today not only the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world, it is also one of pioneering conservation organisations for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa.
At the heart of DSWT’s conservation activities is the Orphans Project, which has achieved worldwide acclaim through its hugely successful elephant and rhino rescue and rehabilitation programme. Williamson Tea will be donating funds particularly in support of this scheme, which offers hope for the future of Kenya’s threatened elephant and rhino populations as they struggle against the threat of poaching for their ivory and horn, and the loss of habitat due to human population pressures and conflict deforestation and drought.
To promote the initiative and its ambition to raise sustainable funding for the DSWT, fifth generation family-owned Williamson Tea are asking tea lovers to share a photograph of where they enjoy a cup of Williamson Tea using the hashtag #KeepOnWandering on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. The best photographs will win an Emma Bridgewater Kenyan Savannah mug, specially made for Williamson Tea.
According to the Williamson Tea website, “the idea behind the #KeepOnWandering campaign came from how a revitalising and healthy cup of tea can be enjoyed around the world, providing a warming relief whatever the situation combined with our desire to keep elephants ‘wandering in the wild’. We look forward to seeing where our teas take you and if you can manage to include an elephant like this cheeky orphan then so much the better!”
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