Offset your next flight with FlyGreen.ca
By Laurie Posted on March 24th, 2009 in Latest News, TravelIf your next vacation is only accessible from a flight, FlyGreen.ca has developed a great way to keep your traveling planet-friendly. Launched by Hume Travel just over a year ago, FlyGreen.ca is Canada’s organization devoted to climate-conscious customers.
With FlyGreen.ca , travelers have the opportunity to book with airlines WestJet and Air Canada, and for each booking, FlyGreen.ca contributes towards various projects that assist in preventing the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. They also offer package holidays, hotels, cruises, and eco-lodge adventures.
But don’t worry – there are no extra fees. FlyGreen.ca simply offers the same rates with hidden costs or booking fees, but gives back to climate cause at the same time. As long as you book your travel on FlyGreen.ca , each confirmed booking is automatically eligible.
Their mission, they state, is that “together, we can help heal the earth,” and by providing flyers with service that offers the same low rates that the airlines do, they can offset your carbon footprint without any extra cost to you.
So what does that mean?
A carbon offset occurs when an organization emits an amount of greenhouse gas but invests in providing a way to remove the equivalent volume of gasses out of the atmosphere or preventing more emissions from occuring.
They have partnered with Offsetters Climate Neutral Society (www.offsetters.ca), a non-profit organization that invest in projects that prevent greenhouse gas emissions, through sustainable projects that deal with renewable energy. Their projects include industrial heat recovery, ground-source heat pump systems, solar thermal systems, high efficiency biomass stoves and efficient lighting systems.
So how much does this really help?
Their website describes the process on how to tally how much carbon dioxide each individual flight produces. Through the fuel consumption, seats occupied (and thus, overall weight), the impact of the emission, and the distance flown, they can then tell extract how many carbon emissions are actually produced. And as a result, they can provide accurate numbers of how they can offset the flight.
FlyGreen.ca also include a calculator, so you can envision how you help the environment. A family of four traveling return-trip from from Toronto to Vancouver, for example, emits 1.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and the total offset cost to make it climate friendly is $106 for the whole family.
We think this is a step forward in eco-traveling. After all, with no extra costs to you, you can truly give back to the environment based on your own actions.
Visit FlyGreen.ca if you’re traveling within Canada to book your next conscious-climate trip.
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Traveling soon? Check out our tips on eco-friendly travel or planning your eco-accomodations with Eco-Hotels of the World.
Image courtesy of bbc.co.uk
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Discussion Take a look at what is being said about this article.
Vic, on March 25th, 2009 says:
What a great idea! Unfortunately Air Canada’s prices are often pretty high – but this justifies it when it’s one of the only options. I’ve never heard of Flygreen, but do a lot of traveling. Thanks so much! Great idea, these guys have.
Gangster80, on October 23rd, 2009 says:
essays, on June 8th, 2010 says:
Now that you have off-set your air travel and reached your destination the next step is to find a “Green Hotel”.
Search for an Eco Hotel or green hotels in the region. Make sure that you have done the ground work and checked about the hotel and its amenities before booking. Some questions that you can ask is:
Who runs the hotel? Is it locally owned or not? Go for hotel that is locally owned and operated, thereby contributing more to the local economy and development.
Do they have any kind of recycling procedure in place? Many hotels will mention this on their website if it is a priority for them, e.g. the Marriott Spirit to Preserve.
How do they contribute towards the energy consumption? Or even easier just ask how they contribute towards “Green Travel.”
Most of the hotels are aware of this terminology and more often than not will welcome your questions.