\nPeter
\nKrahenbuhl’s path to erasing carbon footprints began as a graduate
\nstudent witnessing ecological changes caused by harvesting trees in an
\nEcuadorean village.\n<\/p>\n

\nHe later punted on a D.C. job and continued to travel in Latin America.\n<\/p>\n

\nHe then took his experiences and started an eco-tourism company
\nbased out of Boulder. But even green tourism meant boarding a plane
\nthat would dump tons of carbon dioxide in the sky.\n<\/p>\n

\nFive years ago, he got together with Brian Mullis to form a nonprofit to help travelers and tourism operators tread lightly.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe company, Sustainable Travel Inc., provides educational
\nprograms and services, including certifying resorts that practice
\nconservation and protect local heritage.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe company is now jumping on the latest green buzz called
\ncarbon offsets. The idea is to allow passengers to offset their "carbon
\nfootprint," or the carbon dioxide emissions created when flying in an
\nairplane.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe voluntary fee – ranging from a few dollars to up to $30 a
\nflight – is then funneled into energy-efficiency and renewable-energy
\nprojects.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe nonprofit already is working to develop an offset program
\nfor Continental Airlines. And Denver-based Frontier Airlines said it
\nhas decided to tap Sustainable Travel as well.\n<\/p>\n

\nConcerns about offsets<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nKrahenbuhl understands the skepticism about carbon-offset
\nprograms. He openly acknowledges some predecessors have given it a bad
\nname by putting money into projects that created more greenhouse gases
\nthan they reduced. Even "warm and fuzzy" projects like planting trees
\ncan be failures if most of the trees die or are chopped down.\n<\/p>\n

\nSome also grouse that carbon-offset programs are largely "feel
\ngood" projects, a way for the self-indulgent to rationalize continuing
\nconsumption.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe devil is in the details.\n<\/p>\n

\nJonathan Weiner, a professor of environmental policy of law at
\nDuke University’s Nicholas School and a carbon-trading expert, said
\noffset programs are likely to have modest impacts at first, but may
\nbecome a significant contribution to climate protection over time.\n<\/p>\n

\n"One concern about offsets programs is that the claimed
\nreductions . . . may not be the real reductions if the program is
\nexaggerated or poorly managed," Weiner said by e-mail. "This requires
\ngood monitoring by the seller and intermediary firms. But this is a
\nconcern about any emissions-reduction program anywhere in the world."\n<\/p>\n

\nKrahenbuhl said Sustainable Travel works with groups that
\nadhere to the highest international standards, many of which stem from
\nthe 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change.\n<\/p>\n

\n"We want to make sure that what people are claiming is what
\npeople are getting and that it’s audited, trackable and not
\ndouble-sold," he said.\n<\/p>\n

\nKrahenbuhl, 35, tries to practice what he preaches about small
\ncarbon footprints: He spent a decade without a car, relying mainly on a
\nbicycle to get around Boulder.\n<\/p>\n

\nHis office is a small room in his north Boulder house,
\nappointed with pictures from his travels and a bookshelf of travel
\nbooks, including one he wrote on Ecuador.\n<\/p>\n

\nWorking through Sustainable Travel’s model gives one an appreciation of the complexity and cost of offsetting carbon emissions.\n<\/p>\n

\nSustainable Travel has created a carbon calculator, which is
\navailable on its Web site (sustainabletravelinternational.org). A
\nfamily of four traveling round trip between Denver and Washington,
\nD.C., for example, is responsible for 4 1\/2 tons of carbon dioxide
\nemissions.\n<\/p>\n

\nThat’s obviously a staggering figure that’s not going to be
\noffset cheaply in the same amount of time it was created. But it can be
\noffset over time for a relatively palatable fee of $68.42, Sustainable
\nTravel estimates.\n<\/p>\n

\nCarbon-offset portfolio<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSustainable Travel essentially works as a broker, the exclusive
\nU.S. carbon offsets provider for Swiss-based MyClimate, which
\nidentifies and monitors the local projects.\n<\/p>\n

\nRene Estermann, MyClimate’s managing director, also said the
\nprojects funded must meet international standards. He said MyClimate
\n"guarantees" the emissions offset will be realized within two years of
\nthe fee being paid.\n<\/p>\n

\n"The offset money is a driver to make the project happen," he
\nsaid in a telephone interview from Switzerland. "It’s not the only
\nfactor, but it’s a tipping point."\n<\/p>\n

\nMyClimate’s carbon-offset portfolio includes a fuel-efficient
\nstove project in Cambodia, biomass and solar energy projects in India,
\na wind power project in Madagascar and solar energy projects in Costa
\nRica and Eritrea.\n<\/p>\n

\nEstermann said MyClimate chose developing countries because
\nthey lack the money to invest in new technology themselves. The
\norganization also wants to help create positive side effects, such as
\nlocal jobs, higher living standards and know-how, or what nonprofits
\ncall "capacity building."\n<\/p>\n

\nWhenever possible, donors prefer to fund a local project
\ndirectly because international organizations typically take 15 percent
\nto 20 percent for overhead. But in this case, airlines would be paying
\nfor a middleman’s expertise in finding and monitoring projects.\n<\/p>\n

\nTo avoid a double overhead cost, Sustainable Travel and
\nMyClimate have agreed not to take more than 20 percent combined,
\nguaranteeing at least 80 percent of the airline ticket fees go to a
\nlocal project. Krahenbuhl said Sustainable Travel can take a lower fee
\nbecause of the volume of the program.\n<\/p>\n

\nSubtracting the overhead, the original $68 fee is now about
\n$55. While $55 doesn’t go far in the United States, it can be a
\nrelatively large amount of money in a poor country.\n<\/p>\n

\nHowever, local projects have overhead costs as well, such as
\noffice rent, staff salaries, office equipment, four-wheel-drive
\nvehicles to deliver services, research and development costs.\n<\/p>\n

\nSome critics argue it could take decades or even a century for the emission offsets to be realized.\n<\/p>\n

\nFrontier spokesman Joe Hodas said his view is that the airline
\nhas these choices: Get out of the airline business, do nothing or try
\nto do something. He said the projects sound like they would have a
\npositive impact, whether the carbon dioxide offsets are immediate or
\nnot.\n<\/p>\n

\nDoes it make sense to funnel money into developing countries that contribute a minuscule amount to global pollution?\n<\/p>\n

\nWiener of Duke University said it doesn’t matter whether the
\ncarbon dioxide emissions come from Colorado or Cambodia, the impact on
\nglobal climate is the same.\n<\/p>\n

\nNor does it matter that the more publicized environmental problem in Cambodia is illegal logging and deforestation.\n<\/p>\n

\n"If it is more cost effective to invest now in Cambodia than in
\nthe U.S., or in stoves than forests, the emissions reductions achieved
\nin one place will benefit the climate just as much as in the other
\nplace," Wiener said. "And the lower cost encourages more purchases of
\nemissions reductions, thus benefiting the environment."\n<\/p>\n

\nBut Weiner added that all offset programs are vulnerable to
\n"leakage," in which reductions in one place are "negated by increases
\ninduced in other (unregulated) places."\n<\/p>\n

\nEducational tool<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nKrahenbuhl said another "beauty" of a carbon-offset program is that it is a valuable consumer education tool.\n<\/p>\n

\nWiener said carbon-offset programs "help people become aware of
\ntheir own greenhouse gas emissions and of ways to reduce those
\nemissions; and they help people understand and prepare for
\nparticipation in a larger, more robust emissions-allowance trading
\nsystem, which is highly likely to be enacted in the next few years."\n<\/p>\n

\nKrahenbuhl remembers being asked recently by a "cowboy" in
\nSteamboat Springs: "Wouldn’t your money be better spent lobbying" for a
\nchange in public policy?\n<\/p>\n

\nBut he said he views working with companies like Continental
\nand Frontier as a route to such change. Said Krahenbuhl: "These are the
\nguys that are going to affect policy change."\n<\/p>\n

\nThe impact<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe airline industry has been under fire globally for
\ncontributing to climate change. The industry maintains it is
\nresponsible for less than 2 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide
\nemissions and is shifting as quickly as possible to more fuel-efficient
\nfleets. But critics counter that airline travel is growing rapidly,
\nemissions are released at high altitude where they can do more damage
\nand there aren’t any alternative fuels on the horizon.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe amount of carbon dioxide a plane emits can vary
\ndramatically depending on the plane and the route. Continental
\nAirlines, for example, is known for having a more fuel-efficient fleet
\nthan many other U.S. airlines. In general, a 300-passenger airplane
\ntraveling between Denver and Washington, D.C., round trip would emit
\nmore than 300 tons of carbon dioxide, with the cost to offset that in
\ndeveloping countries of about $5,000.\n<\/p>\n

\nHow Sustainable Travel’s carbon offsets work<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n•<\/b> Participants choose to pay a fee to offset their "carbon footprint."<\/b>
\nFor example, a family of four traveling round trip between Denver and
\nWashington, D.C., is estimated to contribute 4 1\/2 tons of carbon
\ndioxide emissions. The total cost to offset those emissions is
\ncalculated at $68.42.\n<\/p>\n

\n•<\/b> About 20 percent of the fee would go to Boulder-based Sustainable Travel and Swiss-based MyClimate for overhead costs. <\/b>(Sustainable Travel also works with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation in the United States).\n<\/p>\n

\n•<\/b> The remaining 80 percent would go to energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects in developing countries. <\/b>MyClimate
\nsays it guarantees the offset would be realized within two years. It
\nsays projects adhere to international standards stemming from the Kyoto
\nprotocol and are verified by an independent third party.\n<\/p>\n

\nWhat experts say<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nStrict monitoring and well-managed projects are essential to
\nachieving good results. Impacts may be modest at first, but could make
\nmajor contributions to climate protection over the long term. Such
\nprograms raise people’s awareness of their greenhouse gas emissions.
\nCarbon offsets is a trend likely to increase in the U.S.\n<\/p>\n

\nWhat critics say<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCarbon offset projects are largely just "feel good" programs.\n<\/p>\n

\nSustainable Travel Inc. sustainabletravelinternational.org<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n•<\/b> Co-founders: <\/b>President Brian Mullis, vice president Peter Krahenbuhl\n<\/p>\n

\n•<\/b> Based:<\/b> Mullis lives in Oregon, Krahenbuhl in Boulder\n<\/p>\n

\n•<\/b> Founded:<\/b> 2002 to help travelers and tourism operators tread lightly on the environment\n<\/p>\n

\n•<\/b> Status:<\/b> Nonprofit\n<\/p>\n

\n•<\/b> Employees:<\/b> Five full- and part-time\n<\/p>\n

\n•<\/b> Programs:<\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\nCarbon offset:<\/b> Programs to offset one’s carbon dioxide
\nemissions, or "carbon footprint." Works with Swiss-based MyClimate
\n(myclimate.org) and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation in
\nPortland, Ore. (b-e-f.org)\n<\/p>\n

\nEco-certification:<\/b> Certification program of tourism
\nbusinesses that contribute to environmental conservation and protect
\nlocal heritage. Based on specific criteria.\n<\/p>\n

\nEco-directory: <\/b>Guide to environmentally friendly tourism businesses.\n<\/p>\n

\nEducation and training: <\/b>Programs for tourism businesses, government agencies.\n<\/p>\n

\nBuy local products: <\/b> Partnership with Brighter Futures, a
\nventure that works with and promotes craft producers in economically
\ndisadvantaged countries. (www.shop.brighterfutures.biz)\n<\/p>\n

\nsmithje@RockyMountainNews.com<\/a> or 303-954-5155<\/i>\n<\/p>\n

\n \n<\/p>\n

\nhttp:\/\/www.rockymountainnews.com\/drmn\/other_business\/article\/0,2777,DRMN_23916_5613206,00.html\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nonprofit urges voluntary fee on air travelers to pay for offsets By Jeff Smith, Rocky Mountain News July 3, 2007 Peter Krahenbuhl’s path to erasing carbon footprints began as a graduate student witnessing ecological changes caused by harvesting trees in an Ecuadorean village. He later punted on a D.C. job and continued to travel in… More \u00bbEasing carbon footprints<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","neve_meta_reading_time":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourbigclan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourbigclan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourbigclan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourbigclan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourbigclan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourbigclan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourbigclan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourbigclan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourbigclan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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