G'day & Happy Holidays!  Hopefully we get some snow tomorrow as forecasted by our favorite local weather guys, man alive they have a tough job!  I am a West Coast guy and my is wife from Iowa... We both agree that, the only thing we would change about our climate here in the Pacific Northwest is the Winter... I would love a good snow a few times each season. Are ya with me?

Anyway, as you might have read from my bio, I own a couple small Adventure Travel companies here in Seattle, EverGreen Escapes, local nature/adventure tours of the Pacific Northwest and Explorers 3 Adventure, international eco-adventures. 

Both Ex3 & EE offer our clients the opportunity to offset their carbon emissions while traveling internationally or on our local tours, right here in our own backyard.  Educating myself on the many options out there a traveler has to "offset" their emissions proved to be a little tricky and full of questions when deciding which program we were going to use.  How much does it cost?  How is it calculated?  Where is my money really going? How many trees are they going to plant?  When will those trees start eating up my carbon?  Many travelers alike have had these same questions when considering a carbon offset program.  Chances are that if you have even considered such programs then you probably are intrinsically motivated to make sure that your offset contributions are really doing what you intend them to do...

As a member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, I was invited to attend the Adventure Travel World Summit last month in Whistler.  It was at one of their sessions on best practices, moderated by one of the pioneers in sustainable travel, Costas Christ of Adventure Council that I felt like I had some of my questions and concerns with carbon offsetting clarified and answered.   Below is just a quick outline of what was discussed and some valuable knowledge and considerations that should assist you when deciding between carbon offsetting programs.

According to Brian Mullis of Sustainable Travel International, carbon offsetting should be looked at as the second or third best solution in reducing your emissions while traveling and reducing your environmental impact.  Legislation that supports mandatory reductions in carbon emission would be the best solution and becoming more energy efficient, traveling more responsibly, adjusting your behavior and reducing waste would be the next best solution. 

Offsetting programs are meant to impact those emissions while traveling that are unavoidable such as transportation emissions on the most efficient airplane, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.  As a travel company owner, I depend on people traveling as does the rest of the travel and tourism industry, furthermore one could argue that there are communities and economies in developing countries that rely heavily on tourism and would crumble with out the support of the responsible incoming tourists.  I believe that travel is definitely a good thing, however we do have to acknowledge that it does have an impact on the environment and carbon offsetting can be a viable solution.  Below are a few things to consider  when looking for a high quality offset program.  These are outlined by Sustainable Travel International.

Credibility is number one,  is it certified by a independent 3rd party as it there being true positive environmental impacts.  Also, are the carbon calculators using an internationally selected standard or methodology in their calculations. Furthermore, the "offset" projects should meet the Clean Development Mechanism criteria under the Kyoto Protocol and the WWF supported Gold Standard - which is the premium benchmark.

Second is Transparency, offset projects should be under construction or in operation.  After a project is operational and begins producing power, for example, offsets exist that may be claimed against emissions produced.  Offsets should also avoid double counting and support environmental additionality.  Lastly, you also want o make sure the amount of the revenue invested in each offset project should be divulged.

Cost Efficiency is Third, you as the traveler should determine what the pricing is based on: mWh or kWh, English or metric tons.  You also need to determine the price: quality carbon offsets retail for as much as $18 to offset 1 metric ton of CO2e; whereas green tags retail for as much as $20 to offset .63 metric tons of CO2e.  And always consider what percentage of your investment, if any, is tax deductible.

Fourth is Business Support, offset providers should work directly with reservations, IT and or marketing departments of the travel companies you are booking with, thus providing guidance on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) through first best solutions.  There should be carbon footprint assessments on each of your travel bookings using guidelines for calculating the GHG emissions and the benefits of offset projects.

Last is Philanthropic and Humanitarian Benefits, purchasing a quality offset program will go above and beyond your calculated emission offset, it will support the diversity of power supplies available, reduce dependency on imported fuels, help local communities reduce air and water pollution.  It will hoepfully maintain a competitive renewable energy industry; and increase demand for energy efficient products.

Sustainable Travel International is a non-profit whose mission is to promote sustainable tourism development by providing programs that help travelers and tourism related companies such as Explorers 3 Adventures and EverGreen Escapes protect the environment, socio-cultural and economic values of the places they visit, and the planet at large. 

For more information on the Carbon Offsetting program offered by Ex3 & EE please click below:
http://http://www.explorers3.com/carbon_offsetting.asp

For more information on how EverGreen Escapes,, our Adventures, Treks and Tours, as well as our commitment to sustainability and our cool biodiesel vehicles please click below:
http://evergreenescapes.com/what_we_do.asp

Please feel free to call me at 206.650.5795 or email at
mailto:jake@evergreenescapes.com

You now have the "Green Light" on how to travel more responsibly.

My next blog will highlight local and international eco-lodges!

Cheers,
Jake