Carbon offsets for travel

 

 

 

Virginia Birney received an Earth Cooler Certificate, for offsetting

carbon dioxide emissions that would result from her plane trip to Seattle.

    Virginia Birney knows that carbon dioxide emissions from transportation is one of the main causes of global warming, something she has been increasingly concerned about.  Because she wanted to be “part of the solution, not part of the problem,“ she got excited as soon as she understood how carbon offsets work.
    “So when planning a round-trip flight to Seattle recently, I went online and made a contribution to offset two tons of CO2. I was thrilled!... It seemed like such a small amount to pay in comparison to the price of the air ticket...and I had searched for hours to find the cheapest air ticket I could.  The offset cost less than half of what I was paying in taxes and added fees.  This offset made me feel so much better about taking the trip.”
    Offsets include substituting wind or solar electricity in the power grid for electricity produced by burning  coal, oil, or gas. Unlike the burning of fossil fuels, wind and solar energy do not cause greenhouse gases. There is a certification process for green energy providers. 

   You can also offset your carbon dioxide emissions by having trees planted, especially tropical trees. It costs about $10 to have 100 trees planted in the tropics, trees which will absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Offset providers will help you figure out how much carbon dioxide your plane or road trip causes, and how to offset this.
    Virginia Birney’s contribution to NativeEnergy will increase the amount of electricity coming from wind turbines. 

   “I have seen those windmills and I am absolutely fascinated by them. I think we need to see more.”