About EnviroQuote

Tell me a little about EnviroQuote and what it's trying to accomplish?

EnviroQuote is based on the premise that the majority of shoppers would choose to buy a greener alternative product as long as that alternative was: identical in style and of equal price to their usual product.

The problem at the moment, however, is that the majority of products on offer with greener alternatives are normally only found in the supermarket, so for the pro-environment consumer there is very limited opportunity for them to make greener choices beyond everyday items such as food and consumables.

This is why we decided to take a product like insurance, which we believe to be a necessary item, and open up a new avenue where the pro-environment consumer could increase the amount of eco-friendlier purchases they made without having to alter their shopping habits. To support this concept we knew three key elements had to be adhered to in order to make the site useful to the average consumer:

1 - The product should not cost more.

2 - The product should come from a popular and familiar brand.

3 - The product should not require any significant change of habit.

Applying these three elements to insurance is quite simple. This is how:

1 - Searching for and buying insurance online has been one of the Internet's big success stories. Online discounts mean that insurance policies are often cheaper on the Internet than on the high street, overcoming the issue that greener choices tend to cost more.

2 - These days most of the UK's most popular insurance companies have an online presence, enabling consumers to still purchase insurance from their favourite insurance provider.

3 - Finally, buying insurance online does not require a significant change of habit as many have been doing this successfully for years.

Without breaking any of the three rules it's easy to see why we saw insurance as the ideal product to be given a pro-environmental alternative.

Alongside the environmental aspect we also want to create a place where people can get unbiased information on insurance matters, and at the same time provide an easily browsed directory of insurance companies offering free online quotes that can easily be used for comparison.

As we uphold our independent status we shall never be biased towards any particular company, which will enable us to offer uncluttered, ad free articles with the underlying theme always on convenience, money saving advice and CO2 reduction.

It is our hope that this site will play a small role in helping anyone who now feels the time is right to do something about the irreparable damage we are doing to our planet.

Will it make a difference?

We believe consumerism can be a very powerful tool when directed in a positive way. Each single action toward sustainability can make all the difference to the outcome of a desired effect. The actions we take and the choices we make as consumers all have direct and indirect impacts on the environment.

By buying and choosing products with the environment in mind we are making an intentional investment in a brighter, cleaner, safer future.

The whole of society is the key to the success or failure of reducing environmental damage, yet a relatively small number of consumers can still make a big difference.

Why Insurance?

The things we most commonly buy insurance for are cars, homes and travel. It is these three that directly or indirectly create the huge amounts of CO2 that are now thought to be affecting our climate.

A lot of the time consumers find themselves locked into unsustainable buying patterns because of limited access to pro-environment alternatives. We hope to change this by making some of life's essential purchases just a little bit more earth-friendly, and at the same time help individuals offset some of the carbon they produce as consumers.

Do I have to pay to use the EnviroQuote site?

No. EnviroQuote is absolutely free to use. The trees we plant on your behalf are all funded by our own advertising revenue.

Why Tree Planting?

Approximately 80% of all the CO2 exchanged between the land and the atmosphere is accountable to trees, so their role in the carbon cycle is essential. On average, each and every one of us will need to offset about 7,000kg of CO2 per year. In tree terms this is equivalent to planting around 10 trees per year.

As tree planting is one of the most popular ways to carbon offset there will already be many people doing this. So by us using this in our strategy we believe it will help the greatest number of consumers, as the trees we plant can then be added to an individuals own personal endeavours to help reduce their footprint.