Carbon Offset?
Use this excellent carbon calculator to accurately work out your carbon footprint from travel. If you want to take action, it recommends a donation you can make to The Converging World, instead of carbon offsetting your trip.
Why?
We believe that, while Carbon Offsetting is certainly not without its problems, the principle of it could be a good one. So we went searching for a a 'muchbetter Alternative’ to commercial offsetting programs - one which allows travellers to take responsibility for their carbon intensive actions in a way that addresses some of the key concerns of offsetting. Eventually we found one!
The Converging World (TCW) are a UK charity building wind turbines in the developing world, and using the sales of electricity and its gold standard carbon credits (yes, they provide offsets too!) to reinvest in renewable energy projects, put money into local social development projects, and work with communities back home to reduce their carbon footprint. What really sets TCW apart from commercial offsetting schemes however is the way in which they reinvest surplus revenue generated from the sales of their clean energy.
These profits are used to:
- fund further wind turbine projects - generate more clean energy and long term funding for projects.
- tackle inequalities through international social change and sustainable development projects.
- provide carbon reduction initiatives in the UK to help communities reduce their carbon footprint and explore the potential of renewable energy in their area.
Quite simply, your money goes further. It is for these reasons we recommend that rather than carbon offsetting your trip you instead make a donation to The Converging World. By donating to The Converging World directly your money will generate enormous benefits long after its initial investment to help create a more sustainable and equitable world for all.
You can use The Converging World’s excellent carbon calculator (above) to determine a suggested donation in relation to your trip.
Donations/offsets are by no means a replacement for taking meaningful steps to cut your carbon emissions in the first place. We have provided plenty of resources to help you go low carbon in your travels.
Check out our video about carbon offsetting and whether it works.
Really prefer to offset?
Read our muchbetter guide to Carbon Offsetting for Travel, and about some of the problems with Carbon Offsets first.
