As with any business, there is a portion of work that may require you to travel. Conventions, sales meetings, or seeing clients are all essential to your bottom line. You have to get to these destinations somehow and unfortunately, traveling uses fossil fuels and contributes greatly to our carbon footprint. Aviation currently accounts for about 2% of global emissions and continues to grow every year. With the current Climate Crisis, we need to find ways to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions especially when traveling. Fortunately, you can track your carbon footprint and help offset your emissions in a few different ways.
- Cooleffect.org can help you calculate your carbon footprint for the trip you are taking. In turn, you can then donate to current projects that work toward reducing carbon emissions around the world.
- Opt for direct flights instead of multiple stops.
- Consider using public transportation in the cities you visit.
- Another option is not traveling at all. Online meetings, conference calls, we now have the technology to see each other face to face across the world and never go anywhere! This might be a plus for both your budget and the earth, though it might not be feasible for your business.
There are other ways to offset emissions whether traveling for business or pleasure, but the goal is to be aware and make an effort. This can certainly be challenging but at the end of the day, every little bit counts.
Photo by Ant Pruitt