What is a carbon footprint?
A
Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.
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When do I emit carbon dioxide?
Activities that affect your carbon footprint include car travel, air travel, boat travel, bus or train travel, electricity use, home or hotel heating, waste disposal, and buying carbon dioxide-intense products.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average American is responsible for emitting approximately 6.6 tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which equates to almost 15,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.
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How much of a carbon footprint do I make when I travel?
Travel is a main culprit of climate change, accounting for almost one-third of worldwide climate damaging emissions, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. And the fastest-growing contributor of global climate change is air travel. The average individual who takes one or two trips abroad annually, for example, emits 19,841 pounds, or almost 10 tons, of carbon dioxide (CO2). If everyone in the world emitted as much CO2, it's estimated that we'd need two-and-a-half planets to support us.
In terms of staying in hotels and other accommodations, the U.S. Energy Information Administration calculates that the average building uses 29.3 kilowatt-hours of electricity per square foot per year. Based on this number Sustainable Travel International (STI) has computed the total amount of pounds of greenhouse gas emissions emitted per room night.
Although determining total kilowatt-hours of electricity utilized on an annual basis and dividing the amount by the total number of rooms (including their exact square footage) in a hotel would be ideal, this information may not be available, so this calculation is the next closest approximation.
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What are the consequences of making my carbon footprint?
Gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, are emitted as a result of human activities and become trapped in the atmosphere. Because of this phenomenon, they reflect heat back to the Earth's surface, which causes a rise in temperature and is referred to as the Greenhouse Effect.
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What is the Greenhouse Effect?
The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain naturally occurring gases and gases emitted as a result of human activities - such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane - are trapped in the atmosphere. Because these gasses allow incoming solar radiation to pass through the Earth's atmosphere, but prevent part of the outgoing infrared radiation from the Earth's surface to escape, it results in a warming effect, which causes temperatures and water levels to rise resulting in droughts, an increasing frequency and intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes, coral bleaching, and other disastrous effects.
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How big is the current climate change problem?
According to the US National Academy of Sciences, the Earth's surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past century, with accelerated warming during the past two decades. There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities. Carbon dioxide emissions are about 40% higher than they were before the Industrial Revolution and are at their highest levels in recorded history, covering over 650,000 years. Glaciers are receding at unprecedented speeds, whole chunks of the Antarctic ice shelf are breaking off, warmer seasons are becoming longer, and storms are becoming more severe, causing more and more damage. By 2100, in the absence of emissions control policies, carbon dioxide concentrations are projected to be 30-150% higher than today's levels, which in turn could result in unacceptable consequences.
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What does offset mean?
Offset -
verb (offsetting; past and past part. offset) 1. counterbalance; compensate for. noun 2. something that counterbalances; a compensating equivalent.
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What is carbon offsetting?
Carbon Offsetting is a way of compensating for unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide by reducing or displacing the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide in another place, such as reducing the use of fossil fuels used for power.
Carbon offsets work just like the offsets we do in our daily lives. You replace something in one place you can't avoid by doing it someplace else where you can have an impact. For example: "Gas went up again, so to meet my monthly budget, I am going to offset the increase by reducing what I spend on going out to dinner." Or "I ate way too much birthday cake at that party, so to offset the calories; I am going to go to the gym an extra day this week". In the same way, you can balance out your carbon footprint.
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What does the term "carbon-neutral" mean?
New Oxford American Dictionary Definition:
Being carbon neutral involves calculating your total climate-damaging carbon dioxide emissions, reducing them where possible, and then balancing your remaining emissions, often by purchasing a carbon offset such as investing in "green" technologies like solar and wind power.
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How does The Leading Green Carbon Neutral program work?
Greenhouse gases (GHG), like carbon dioxide (CO2), are emitted when fossil-fuels are consumed. We all emit CO2 emissions when we drive a car, fly in a plane, use electricity, or generate waste. You can use less energy, travel less, or use public transport, but some emissions are unavoidable.
In order to provide our guests with a carbon-neutral experience, The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. supports Sustainable Travel International (STI) and their non-profit partners to provide Carbon Offsets and Green Tags:
- The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), a non-profit marketer of renewable energy that sells renewable energy certificates it calls Green Tags.
- MyClimate™, a Switzerland-based non-for-profit marketer of energy efficiency and renewable energy that sells verified emission reductions it calls Carbon Offsets.
STI and these two non-profit organizations are focused on increasing energy efficiency, reducing waste, and replacing traditional sources of fuel used for energy including coal, oil and natural gas, with clean and renewable sources like wind and solar.
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How much carbon dioxide do I have to offset for a one-night stay and how much does it cost?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration calculates that the average building uses 29.3 kilowatt-hours of electricity per square foot per year. Based on this number Sustainable Travel International has computed the total amount of pounds of greenhouse gas emissions emitted per room night.
Although determining total kilowatt-hours of electricity utilized on an annual basis and dividing the amount by the total number of rooms (including their exact square footage) in a hotel would be ideal, this information may not be available, so this calculation is the next closest approximation.
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What are the different forms of carbon offsetting?
- Forestry: Forestry conservation, forestry restoration and agro forestry (supporting farmers to integrate trees into their agricultural practices).
- Renewable energy (e.g., wind and solar energy): Developing a market based on energy obtained from sources that are essentially inexhaustible, which prevent the use of fossil fuels in the future. Renewable energy projects also oftentimes bring jobs and investment to rural areas in which many of these types of projects are located.
- Energy efficiency: Supporting development of technologies that reduce energy consumption for buildings, industries, homes and transportation. An example is the use of bio-fuel or compact fluorescent light bulbs.
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Why do I need to offset carbon?
Offsetting your carbon footprint allows a person to become part of the solution to climate change by supporting the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions equal to their carbon footprint. While individuals should also reduce their carbon footprint by using energy more efficiently and limiting the amount of waste they generate, reducing it to zero through individual actions is challenging at best. Although carbon offsetting is not considered to be a first best solution for addressing climate change, it is a cost effective and practical means for addressing unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions.
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What is The Leading Hotels of the World's Contribution?
LHW is proud to lead the way in responsible travel by providing a carbon-neutral travel experience for any reservation made through our dedicated website,
http://www.lhwgreen.com, or when "Leading Green" is mentioned to any one of our world-wide reservation centers.
The only brand in the industry to contribute on their guests' behalf, LHW will offset customers' carbon footprints by making the financial commitment directly to STI. Through average building energy use The U.S. Energy Information Administration's official average building energy use number, STI has determined that $1.00 per room night spent in a luxury hotel will offset the environmental impact of a guests' overnight stay. On behalf of consumers reserving through the Leading Green Initiative, LHW will donate 50¢ for each room night. Furthermore, LHW has decided to waive the right to receive a printed certificate for the contribution, representing a savings of an additional 50¢ in production. Therefore, the total donation made by LHW is equivalent to $1.00, which offsets the totality of their carbon footprint (i.e. the use of the electricity of their room and in common areas).
The room rates offered in the Leading Green Initiative have not been inflated to support this program, and are uniform in every distribution channel. All funds are being donated entirely by The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd.
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Where does this money go?
Sustainable Travel International's (STI) TravelGreen® and MyClimate™ program is a tool that allows for the sale of clean, renewable electricity through the purchase of carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates also known as green tags.
STI partners with two non-profit organizations to provide Carbon Offsets and Green Tags:
- The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), a non-profit marketer of renewable energy that sells renewable energy certificates it calls Green Tags. BEF Green Tags are considered to among the best renewable energy certificates available in North America because the Green Tags offered by BEF are certified by Green-e. For more information, please visit www.b-e-f.org, www.green-e.org.
- MyClimate™, a Switzerland-based non-profit marketer of energy efficiency and renewable energy that sells verified emission reduction certificates. The company's projects are developed in accordance with procedures, criteria and methodologies from the clean development mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto protocol and the criteria of The Gold Standard. For more information, please visit www.myclimate.org, www.cdmgoldstandard.org.
These Carbon Offsets and Green Tags go to support the construction and operation of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects worldwide, for example developing solar and wind energy production.
A renewable energy facility produces two distinct "products". The first is electricity. The second is the environmental benefits resulting from not generating the pollution caused by other sources of energy such as fossil fuels.
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How does STI ensure the integrity of my investment?
Sustainable Travel International (STI) protects the integrity of each transaction in several ways through its strategic partners:
- Partners invest net revenues from the sale of the offsets into the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in North America, Africa, Asia and Central America.
- Projects provide the local population with additional benefits, such as the creation of new jobs, the sustainable transfer of knowledge, and the improvement of air and water quality and quality of life.
- Projects undergo reviews and certification by third-party environemental organizations as well as by STI's partners at least once a year throughout each project's entire lifecycle.
STI operates in a transparent manner. Its approach is to conservatively estimate how much pollution is reduced, disclose its estimated methodologies, which are available upon request, and to monitor and disclose how its projects perform.
For more information, please visit
www.sustainabletravelinternational.org.
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Are some Carbon Offsets better than others?
Since carbon offset quality can vary greatly, it is important for businesses and consumers to consider the differences between them. BEF Green Tags are considered to be among the best renewable energy certificates available in North America because of the Green-e certification (
www.green-e.org) and the independent environmental review of BEF's renewable energy sources.
MyClimate Carbon Offset projects are developed in accordance with procedures, criteria and methodologies from the clean development mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto protocol and the criteria of The Gold Standard (
www.cdmgoldstandard.org). In addition to the verifiable reduction of greenhouse gases the projects have to locally contribute to sustainable development. MyClimate Carbon Offset projects support projects world-wide.
For more information, please visit
www.carbonoffsets.org.
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How can renewable energy and energy efficiency projects reduce greenhouse gas pollution?
Simply put, purchasing Carbon Offsets reduces greenhouse gases emissions by replacing fossil fuels used for power with renewable energy. By employing energy efficiency techniques such as using compact florescent light bulbs and energy efficient appliances we can reduce the energy we use and offset the rest of our energy use by using clean, renewable sources for power.
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Who is behind STI's carbon offset projects?
STI is a United States-based 501(c)(3) non-profit and is the exclusive provider of MyClimate™ Carbon Offsets in North America. STI is also Bonneville Environmental Foundation's (BEF) travel and tourism partner in providing Green Tags.
MyClimate is a Switzerland-based registered charity that falls under the strict requirements of Swiss law, which state that at least 80 percent of the money it receives must benefit the projects it endorses. The MyClimate Charitable Foundation Board defines the standards, criteria and processes to ensure the integrity and credibility of all MyClimate transactions.
BEF is a United States-based non-profit organization. All of the net revenues from the sale of BEF's Green Tags are reinvested into new renewable energy projects across North America and watershed restoration in the United States.
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How does STI estimate how much pollution is reduced?
STI believes operating in a transparent manner is the best way for our business and individual customers to be confident in the value of the Carbon Offsets and Green Tags it provides.
STI's approach is to conservatively estimate how much pollution is reduced, disclose its estimating methodologies, which are available upon request and to monitor and disclose how its projects perform.
This approach makes STI accountable to its customers and to the market. It also enables STI to provide a better service.
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Is my investment tax deductible?
STI is registered as a non-profit organization and has been granted 501(c)(3) status by the IRS. When you make a contribution to STI for the express purpose of buying Carbon Offsets or Green Tags, you are directing STI to buy them on your behalf. They are then retired and taken out of the market. Although this means that you won't personally own the emissions offsets as your property, you will help accomplish the desired environmental outcomes.
Upon request, STI will gladly send you an acknowledgement of your contribution, up to 20 percent (20%) of which may be tax deductible to the full extent allowed under the law if you operate a U.S.-based business or if you are a U.S. citizen.
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What is the impact of my contribution to carbon offsetting?
The good news is that together we can prevent global warming. The solution is found in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels by supporting the use of renewable energy. By contributing to the carbon offsetting you stimulate demand for renewable energy, increase energy efficiency and provide incentives for increases in the production of renewable energy. You also apply pressure on corporations to take action on global warming and that, in turn, can have a long-term effect on public policy and may ultimately inspire federal regulation. Individuals should also recognize that collectively they can make a difference.
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Are the Carbon Offsets merely a means to reduce guilt?
Purchasing carbon offsets is a great way to compensate for the CO2 pollution you create when driving, flying, or using electricity. Your offset purchase stimulates demand for renewable energy, increases energy efficiency, and provides incentives for increases in the production of renewable energy production.
Offsetting energy isn't an excuse to pollute. It's a way to take responsibility for the pollution that can't be avoided. We encourage you to increase energy efficiency and reduce waste production as much as you can, and then offset the rest of the energy you do use with clean and sustainable sources of energy.
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Where can I get more information about carbon offsetting?
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