Ready, Set, Green, Week Four: The Plane Truth

I know planes aren't great for the earth, what with all the carbon dioxide emissions. That works out nicely for me, because flying is not my favorite way to get from point A to point B—but I do love new places, and I'm more than happy to white my knuckles during take off and turbulence if it means going somewhere I've never been. Since we spend at least one weekend a month on a road trip, real vacations for us mean getting out the passports and the rolling suitcases and preparing for takeoff.

That usually evens out to only two or three round trips on a plane each year, and those are mostly to places where driving is not possible (like Ireland) or not feasible (like Belize)—although when Mike lived in New York and I lived in Boston, we each logged a lot of miles on planes, trains, and cars to see each other almost every weekend. That's 374 pounds of CO2 round trip for one person in a car, 256 pounds via plane, and 168 pounds on the railroad…multiplied by three weekends a month... multiplied by five years...

So maybe I have some trips to make up for. This summer, we're going to Harbour Island, a tiny piece of the Bahamas; the trip requires a flight to Ft. Lauderdale, another to Eluthera, Harbour Island's neighbor, and then a water taxi. (Some good news: Harbour Island is so small we won't need a car—just a golf cart for the whole week.) I log each flight individually into TerraPass.com, and it tells me I'll be using 934 pounds of CO2. For $5.95 I can offset 1000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, and they'll put the money toward wind farms that provide clean energy, farm projects that destroy methane gas from animal waste, and landfill gas captures. It's not an exact trade, but if it means I can counter some environmental damage and still get a fix for my travel urge, then sign me up.

More about carbon offsets:
Find a Carbon-Offset Company You Can Trust
Calculate Your Carbon Emissions Using Localized Data
How to Green Your Carbon Offsets

More about green travel: Make Greener Choices for Your Vacation Journey and Destination
Take a Low Carbon Vacation: Four Ways
Eco-Friendly Travel Destinations