At Castor, we care deeply about improving human health. We’ve already made incredible progress by improving the tools and resources available to medical researchers worldwide, but there are other ways we can help.
Though it may seem surprising, the number one issue on the World Health Organization’s list of threats to global health is air pollution and climate change. The WHO’s brief summary makes for stark reading:
“Microscopic pollutants in the air can penetrate respiratory and circulatory systems, damaging the lungs, heart and brain, killing 7 million people prematurely every year from diseases such as cancer, stroke, heart and lung disease. Around 90% of these deaths are in low- and middle-income countries, with high volumes of emissions from industry, transport and agriculture, as well as dirty cookstoves and fuels in homes.”
With this in mind, Castor has decided to take action. From now on, Castor will be planting 10 trees for each study that goes live! Researchers won’t have to do anything, we’ll simply donate funds on their behalf the moment their study goes live, regardless of whether it is a paid study or a free study.
We will be working with charities that specialize in tree planting and rewilding. Castor’s donations will go towards tree planting taking place annually in the Autumn/Winter. We’ll be sharing regular updates on the initiative via social media, as well as providing an annual progress report in conjunction with Target 2030.
Our new sustainability commitment won’t end at tree planting either – our new office will be powered by renewable energy from early next year, and we’re currently determining the most effective method of offsetting the carbon emissions of all our employee commutes. We’ll be defining our sustainability policy over the coming months too, so stay tuned to this space.
