We Reduce the Impact of Our Flights with Double Carbon Offsets.
What We’re Doing
We have to travel for our work, but we’re committed to making our travel more sustainable. Our goal is not to just offset our own emissions, but those of another traveller too. So every time we fly, we plant enough trees to sequester the carbon from 2 flights.
Why We are Doing This
Airplanes emit various particles and gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere and CO2 accounts for up to 65% of global greenhouse emissions.
CO2 is one of several greenhouse gases that occur in the atmosphere. When functioning properly, greenhouse gases regulate the earth’s temperature. Human activities are responsible for almost all of the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years. When excess greenhouse gas exists in the atmosphere, heat becomes trapped and the planet warms. OK according to which science you follow! But regardless. Offsetting our emissions from flying is a good thing to do for the planet.
How We are Doing This?
“One tree can absorb as much as 21 kg of carbon dioxide per year and can sequester 1 tonne of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 44 years old.”
Assuming it only gets to 10 years old before somebody cuts it down, and assuming that a tree absorbs 80% less in its first 10 years of growth (from sapling to tree) than it would when it was fully mature. We calculated that we need to plant 18 trees to absorb 1 tonne of CO2 emissions.
Online research seems to indicate that each passengers share of emissions for a return flight from Sydney to Melbourne (3 hours flight time) is between 200 and 300 kgs. So we’ll pick 300 kgs. That makes 100 kgs for each 1 hour we fly. And if we are to double offset, that makes 200 kgs of emissions we need to offset per hour of flight.
OK, back to the trees. So to offset each hour of flight, we need to plant 3.6 trees. Let’s round that up to 4.
Starting on 1st November 2019, our accounts department are tasked with adding up the number of hours we have flown each month. And we then plant the appropriate number of trees to double offset those emissions.
A counter at the top of this page will record the total number of trees planted.
Oh, and WHERE are we planting trees?
Thankfully as part of our B1G1 giving program, we have access to a number of worthy causes around the World that plant trees. So we’ll spread them across:
Australia. Planting trees in the Daintree Rain Forest
Kenya and Indonesia. As part of a re-forestation program
Indonesia. To rebuild habitats for Orangutans
Kenya. We plant fruit trees to provide a means of income for poorer families.