Carbon Offsetting the Family Vacation

With climate change on everyone’s minds, purchasing carbon credits offers a means to alleviate some of our green guilt. Terms like ”carbon neutral”, “carbon credits”, “carbon offsets” etc. are thrown around the green community to describe ways we can absolve our carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change. The average American contributes over 20 tons of carbon a year, and the family vacation is a part of this equation.

Because we live off the grid and run biodiesel (B99) in our truck, I’ve never been too concerned with purchasing carbon credits; however, this summer, my family will be taking a flight across the United States to visit family. According to the CarbonNeutral Company, “Airline flights are among the fastest growing sources of global warming gases.” There are many websites that provide carbon calculators to help you figure out how much carbon your vacation will emit. For example, the flight calculator at Conservation.org figures our trip will contribute 4.4 tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, which we can offset for a $44.00 donation.

To read more, please visit our post on GNM Parents.

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