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January 2005

Sustainable Travel International
Media Update: January 2005

Travelers Turn On to Offsetting their Climate Change Impacts

Washington, D.C. (January 2005) - Sustainable Travel International (STI), a Colorado-based non-profit organization, today released the results from the first six months of testing a new service called I Care for MyClimate™. Promoting sustainable travel, STI is offering a service to offset climate impacts from travel and is working with a travel agency that knows how to use it - United Fairfax Travel / American Express (UFX) from Fairfax, Virginia.

Inherently the words "sustainable" and "travel" seem to be at odds due to the high amount of greenhouse gases caused by air and land travel, so much so that the phrase "sustainable travel" almost deserves a window seat next to other oxymoronic phrases like "unbiased opinion," "virtual reality," and "working holiday." It is true: air travel is a gargantuan greenhouse gas creator, with a jet emitting about one pound of carbon dioxide per passenger mile. Also true: even for the most conscientious consumer, travel is inevitable. That is why STI joined forces with UFX Travel to test the demand for offsetting the climate impact of air travel.

So just what is climate impact neutral? In short, over the past few years, reforestation, renewable energy, and energy efficiency projects have emerged around the world. These projects reduce climate damaging emissions and earn certificates that document the exact quantity of reduced emission units. These "certified emission reduction units" are then sold on international markets, thus rewarding projects that earn these units by, for example, replacing dirty oil energy systems with solar panels. So now, everything from home electricity usage to air travel can be made climate impact neutral by offsetting their greenhouse gas-related impacts with the purchase of emission reduction units.

Through the MyClimate™ program, UFX purchases offset units - for every airline ticket they book. Travelers can also upgrade to a full MyClimate™ ticket and reduce their climate impact to zero for a small additional surcharge - typically between $5-10. It's a small cost considering it only takes about fifteen full MyClimate™ tickets to finance say, the construction of an entire solar water heating system in Africa that replaces the need to burn virgin forest wood and import diesel fuel.

UFX's President, Andreas Kristinus, makes the decision to 'go green' a no-brainer: "We have seen a substantial increase in new customers due to consumer demand for 'guilt free' travel at no additional cost." Kristinus continues, "So for every travel arrangement that is booked through MyClimate™, my company dedicates a portion of the proceeds to help offset the emissions that are caused by your flight."

Guilt free travel at no additional cost? On your next flight, you can just hear someone one aisle over saying, "Now that's the ticket!"

About Sustainable Travel International:

Founded in 2002, Sustainable Travel International is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible travel and tourism, supporting sustainable development and helping travelers and travel providers protect the cultures and environments they visit through education and outreach.

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