Painless way to easily help the planet with your conscious choice
Did you know that every time you fly you are contributing to (GHGs) greenhouse gas emissions?
Jet airplanes contribute to 12% globally of the overall carbon emissions in the air we breathe. Some say we should stop flying but that’s not always possible.
The alternative is to defray emissions by purchasing carbon offsets.
How do you do that?
You can start with TerraPass which will easily calculate your air miles by the number of travelers in your itinerary. You then pick which amount you’d like to contribute. Your purchase helps provide green jobs in local communities and/or fund projects that reduce carbon emissions. It’s a win-win situation.
Many airlines allow you to purchase carbon offsets as you check out on their website, say after buying a plane ticket. Not only is this good for the environment but it helps you become more of a sustainable traveler.
Here’s a list of airlines that participate in offsetting their carbon footprint
Alaska Airlines has partnered with Carbonfund.org
Delta Airlines became the first US carrier to launch a carbon offsetting program for customers, in 2007.
JetBlue has partnered with Carbonfund.org.
United’s Eco-Skies CarbonChoice program partners with Conservation International
Air Canada partners with Less Emissions
Air New Zealand partners with ClimateCare
Austrian Airlines partners with Climate Austria
Brussels Airlines partners with CO2logic
Cathay Pacific’s FLY greener program
China Airlines has partnered with ClimateCare
EVA Air has also partnered with ClimateCare
Japan Airlines directs passengers to myclimate if they wish to offset their flights.
Lufthansa partners with Myclimate
Qantas Future Planet
British Airways partners with pureleapfrog.
Virgin Australia allows you to offset even prior flights using their calculator.
Variety of Ways to Offset Your Carbon Footprint Even if You Don’t Fly
Meanwhile, there are other ways you can defray or offset your carbon footprint.
You can elect to purchase a monthly amount, or you can purchase a one-time amount. It’s up to you and it’s easy to do.
Here are some companies you can contribute to as an individual.
The Gold Standard offers a number of projects you can fund locally and worldwide.
CarbonFund offers project funding for individuals and businesses.
Native gives you clear answers in how it all works.
Ethical considerations to understand
If you are new to understanding how carbon offsets work, and wonder where your money goes after you make a purchase, read through an organization’s website carefully.
- Look for claims that are unsubstantiated. In other words, false advertising.
- Consumers can hold companies accountable by verifying the projects they endorse.
- Make sure a company is really reducing its own GHGs while they collect purchases to offset their other partnered projects. In other words, they continue to pollute while claiming to be green.
Greenwashing or does it really work?
There are those who say that purchasing carbon offsets to fund a project reducing emissions, is really avoiding the main issue of cutting back drastically usage of things that directly contribute to carbon emissions. It has been dubbed “greenwashing” a form of overshadowing the effort to reduce climate change.
Sources point to the need to address climate change and fix the problem – yesterday. But the reality is that it’s a hugely complex problem given its worldwide and people don’t come to agree on solutions easily. What we can do as individuals is up to us through learning of all the possibilities in how we can combat climate change involving sustainable traveling efforts.