OWNERS of a Capital family furniture store have made a bid to pay back their carbon debt by planting 20 trees for every customer.

Scott Mackay, managing director of the Richard F Mackay shop on Stevenson Road, Murrayfield, decided to cancel out some of the damage caused by air and road travel by donating more than 2300 trees to the Central Scotland Forest Trust. He came across the idea while reading an article about rock group U2 in a magazine.

“I saw the article and Bono was talking about how the band plants a certain number of trees for every air trip they take,” said Mr Mackay, whose grandfather, Richard, founded the store on Brunswick Place in 1931. “So, I decided it would be a good idea to donate enough money to plant 20 trees for every customer who bought something in the shop during a three-week period.”

Customers who bought something from the shop between April 20 and May 7 also got their own cherry tree to plant at home.

The trees are to be planted in forestry areas to be regenerated around Scotland’s Central Belt.

Last updated: 16-May-06 12:55 BST