Carbon offsetting: how to minimise your carbon footprint

Want to reduce your carbon footprint, but not sure how? Read on...

Global warming is one of the world's most pressing concerns, so it's only natural that you'll want to limit the impact of your travels on the environment. The problem is, the most popular form of travel is flying and this leaves a massive carbon footprint. You could try to avoid it by opting for sea or road travel - it might even save you some pennies - but if you want to make the most of your travels, it's just not realistic. So what can you do? Easy - offset your travels.

What is Carbon offsetting?

Basically, carbon offsetting is a way of “undoing” the damage that your actions have on the environment. To be honest, the best thing for the environment would be to avoid causing any damage in the first place. But unless you're going to give up your travels or wait until a plane's developed that doesn't guzzle fuel, this isn't really an option.

So you're left with carbon offsetting. There are a number of ways to do it and each has their pros and cons. So you'll have to decide which is right for you and which is not. To help you make your decisions, here's a quick overview.

Work out your carbon footprint

First things first, work out how much damage you're doing. You can never do too much good, but it's nice to know just how much you should do. The web is packed with sites that'll help you work out how big your carbon footprint is. A couple of examples include...

• www.climatecare.com
• www.co2balance.com
• www.sustravel.co.uk

The last of these puts it all into perspective by telling you just what you'd have to do to offset your journey.

A little everyday

One way to offset your carbon emissions is to change your lifestyle. Investing in energy efficient light bulbs, jumping on the bus - all these things can help cut your carbon emissions. And when it comes to global warming, every little counts. The problem is, you're probably already making these changes, so you might need to go a little further to offset your carbon emissions.

Make a donation

This is the easiest way to offset your carbon emissions. You don't have to worry about changing your lifestyle or putting the work in - you just hand over your money and let someone else do the hard work for you. Your investment will help keep offsetting projects going. Some projects help with reforestation efforts, which means trees will be planted to convert the carbon dioxide created by your flights into oxygen. Others implement renewable energy equipment, to help minimise carbon emissions in the future. So you can offset your carbon emissions your way.

Volunteer at worthwhile projects

Perhaps the most rewarding way to offset your carbon emissions is to volunteer at an offsetting project. You could help plant trees, preserve natural environments or educate local people about the effects of their actions on the environment. Whichever you choose, you'll be taking a hands-on approach to offsetting your carbon emissions and that's an experience with a high feel-good factor.

Perhaps the most rewarding way to offset your carbon emissions is to volunteer at an offsetting project. You could help plant trees, preserve natural environments or educate local people about the effects of their actions on the environment. Whichever you choose, you'll be taking a hands-on approach to offsetting your carbon emissions and that's an experience with a high feel-good factor.

If you're thinking of doing an i-to-i project and would like it to contribute to your carbon offsetting plan, you should consider a conservation project. There are a number of suitable projects available, so have a look around and see if one suits you. Otherwise, hit the net and see what takes your fancy. And remember, you don't have to volunteer abroad, you can do it at home too. Tree planting projects are just as common in the UK as they are abroad, so why not see if there's anything available locally?

Carbon offsetting best practices

Whether you're making a donation of money or time, you have to know you've chosen the right project. That's why the UK government has plans to implement a Code of Best Practice for the carbon offsetting market. Though not in place yet, this should affect your carbon offsetting decisions in the future and can give you direction to help you make your decisions today. Projects will be assessed on the following factors:

Going above and beyond

Projects should do more than just minimise their own emissions, they should have a positive impact on the environment.

Ongoing good work

Projects should continuously minimise emissions, not just put them off until later.

Openness

Projects should be open about the procedures they have in place, so travellers can make a true assessment of their worth.

Honest measurement

Projects should ensure that offsetting figures show a true representation of the work they do.

Verification

Projects should have systems in place to verify the impact they have on the environment.

And that's it. Now you have the information you need to start offsetting your carbon emissions and to ensure that the choices you make will have a real impact on the environment. Sustainable travel here you come.

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