Back in 2007, I calculated the carbon offset for driving my German car around Virginia, and then made a donation toward renewable energy production. I have played around with the idea of doing the same for all the flights of my trip around the world too. And that's where Tripbase.com enters the picture. They've developed a quick, new Flight Carbon Emissions Calculator to help travelers account for their carbon footprints in our increasingly green-conscious society.
To test it out, I used my cross-Atlantic flight from Madrid, Spain to Bogota, Colombia. I simply entered my flight class (Long Haul – Economy), departure and destination cities, and clicked “calculate.” According to the calculator, the approximate CO2 emissions I'm responsible for as a result of that flight are 0.647 tonnes. The methodology used for the calculator is cited at the bottom of the widget.
While this gives me a feel for how much carbon dioxide I'm tied to for the flight, I wish the calculator could go a step further and somehow monetize it so I would have a basis for donations.
I've added the free Tripbase Flight Carbon Emissions Calculator to my right sidebar. Be sure to give it a test drive and gain a little awareness about your carbon footprint on the world. For the green bloggers out there, you can download the widget at Tripbase.
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This post was written by Dave, and brought to you by Tripbase.
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Andy says
June 16, 2009 at 11:52 amhttp://www.carbonneutral.com/ do have a facility to donate towards carbon offsetting your flight, although it doesn’t appear to have any provision for business/first classes (which obviously account for more)
Andy says
June 16, 2009 at 6:52 amhttp://www.carbonneutral.com/ do have a facility to donate towards carbon offsetting your flight, although it doesn’t appear to have any provision for business/first classes (which obviously account for more)
Christian Haugen says
June 24, 2009 at 1:39 amHave you donated anything yourself on this trip Dave? For the second time in my life I did pay for the carbon emissions on my RTW ticket although I am still debating with myself wether I’m actually doing something good or just cheating my concience…
Christian Haugen says
June 23, 2009 at 8:39 pmHave you donated anything yourself on this trip Dave? For the second time in my life I did pay for the carbon emissions on my RTW ticket although I am still debating with myself wether I’m actually doing something good or just cheating my concience…
Dave says
June 24, 2009 at 3:53 amNot so much formal donations, as opening my “wallet” to give to the poor people (beggars if you will) that I encountered. And tipping tour guides, etc. I’m definitely not in a position to donate now, but in the future there are no shortage of places I’d want to help as a result of my travel experiences – orphanages in Nepal…..landmine victims in Laos…..animal reserves in Africa…and so on.
Dave says
June 23, 2009 at 10:53 pmNot so much formal donations, as opening my “wallet” to give to the poor people (beggars if you will) that I encountered. And tipping tour guides, etc. I’m definitely not in a position to donate now, but in the future there are no shortage of places I’d want to help as a result of my travel experiences – orphanages in Nepal…..landmine victims in Laos…..animal reserves in Africa…and so on.