The King’s Green Pad

Can you keep a secret? I’m a bit reluctant to tell you this, because I work at a place where a lot of people have embraced the Christian mandate for creation care, and I’m kind of embarrassed about what they might think of me. Well, okay, here goes – I’m flying to Mexico at the end of October with my family, on an airplane that burns fossil fuel. There. I said it. I hope that you won’t think any less of me. I’m feeling a bit guilty about my trip because of the amount of greenhouse gas my family will be creating. (Also, I do have some queasy feelings about the ethics of being a tourist from an affluent country in a place that has a lot of poverty, but that’s a topic for a different blog.)

So, you might be saying to yourself “You’re right, you shouldn’t go. Take a staycation at home.” Well, it’s pretty much final. The trip is booked and everyone is excited. I’ve been thinking about what I can do to offset my guilty feelings. What I’ve finally arrived at is the idea of purchasing carbon offsets. According to WhatIs.com,

A carbon offset is a credit that an individual or organization can purchase to negate a carbon footprint. When the number of carbon offsets obtained is equal to an individual or organization’s carbon footprint, that person or organization is carbon neutral. Revenue generated from the purchase of carbon offsets is often (but not always) invested in environmentally-friendly projects.

The David Suzuki Foundation states that while air travel accounts for only 4%-9% of the total climate change impact of human activity, compared to other modes of transport, such as driving or taking the train, traveling by air has a greater climate impact per passenger kilometer, even over longer distances. Also worth noting is that air travel continues to increase dramatically every year, partly due to the relaxation of international flight regulations as a result of global trade negotiations. There are, of course, other ways of avoiding the generation of greenhouse gasses from air travel. The Foundation suggests that you
• Consider taking a vacation closer to home.
• Use other modes of transportation where possible (e.g. trains and buses).
• Use video-conferencing for meetings.
• Try keeping in touch with family and friends by web cam instead of flying.

But, if you have to get on a plane, or, like me, you’re going to do it even if you feel guilty, here are a few tips to help reduce the impact of your flight:
• Reduce the number of times you fly by booking more than one meeting or event in your destination area so that you don’t have to fly back again to the same place.
• Fly during the day, which has a smaller impact on greenhouse gas generation than flying at night.
• Fly economy, as packing more people on each plane means more efficiency.
• Pack light – lighter planes equal less fuel burned.
• Consider purchasing carbon offsets to account for the emissions from your flight. To calculate the offsets required for your flight, try the offset calculators at http://www.planetair.ca or http://www.terrapass.com/flight/flightcalc.html.

A document called Purchasing Carbon Offsets: A Guide for Canadian Consumers, Businesses and Organizations was produced by the Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute in 2009. It provides great answers about what carbon offsets are, how they are calculated, the kinds of offsets than can be purchased and how to evaluate them.

The money paid to carbon offset providers is used to support projects that reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in the short- or long-term. The most common project type is renewable energy, such as wind farms, biomass energy, or hydroelectric dams. Others include energy efficiency projects, the destruction of industrial pollutants or agricultural byproducts, destruction of landfill methane, and forestry projects.

Of the two major air carriers left in Canada, only Air Canada offers a carbon offset plan as part of its online ticket purchase process. WestJet offers interesting information about its pro-environment policies, but does not provide links to offset providers.

So, back to the title of my posting: $14.40 X 4=$57.60. I have used the offset calculator provided by Zerofootprint to calculate the carbon footprint of our flight. According to its web site, Zerofootprint is

… a socially responsible enterprise. Its mission is to apply the technology, design and risk management needed to massively reduce our global environmental footprint. The company operates in both the for-profit and charitable worlds through Zerofootprint Software and the Zerofootprint Foundation.

Apparently, the carbon footprint of my family’s air journey to Mexico and back can be offset by contributing $57.60 to Zerofootprint’s forest restoration project in Maple Ridge, BC. Zerofootprint claims that so far, it’s partnership with Air Canada has offset 14,005 tonnes of CO2 by planting 2,801 trees. That is apparently equivalent to taking 3,467 cars off of Canadian roads for one year.

I know that there is a fair bit of skepticism about the idea of carbon offsets and I realize that I’m not knowledgeable enough to know for sure whether my $57.60 will really make a difference. However, as one Greenpad blogger said recently, “…in one action you take today, consider the natural world, and make one change in how you do that action – whether it’s taking alternative transportation to work or school, or recycling something you normally throw away, or choosing not to buy something because you don’t really need it, or something else entirely – take one action. Let us all begin to truly “save the planet”. This is my one action for today. I’m very interested in seeing what others have to say about carbon offsets, so please respond to this posting.

Tim Janewski
Director of Library Services
The King’s University College