I love to travel. I mean I live to travel. I average about six round trip flights a year and a handful of road trips. Other than not taking a private jet, (as though it were an option), I haven’t given much thought to how to offset these carbon emissions. This is why I was thrilled to see the option when I booked my latest plane ride with Delta Airlines. Right there after selecting my seat and payment option appeared the choice to off-set carbon emissions with the Nature Conservancy. By using the miles traveled and fuel consumed it estimated that I owed about $18, wow not too bad!
How does carbon offset program work you may be asking? After entering information about your home energy, transportation use, and recycling/waste and food choice an amount in tons of CO2 equivalent/per year is calculated. The average American uses 27 tons per year. The Conservancy then translates this into a dollar amount in an investment you can make to protect land and plant trees that will help reduce greenhouse gases through O2 production.
Conclusion: having a dollar amount to assess my travel contribution to greenhouse gases makes it easier to make the efficient choice and look for new ways to reduce my emissions. Measure your own footprint!
Kudos to Delta and the Nature Conservancy!
Plus, I also took the Greyhound trip recently and was happy to see they have introduced a more efficient fleet complete with wi-fi and power outlets. Also, look for hybrid-electric cabs whenever possible.
