Reduce your carbon footprint
We know that as an international travel destination, it's not always possible to get to Britain without flying, but before you travel to Britain, read our advice on how to be a responsible traveller and try to follow our 10 green travel tips. These tips will help you to help the environment and therefore reduce your carbon footprint. But what is a carbon footprint and how can you reduce it?
What is a ‘carbon footprint’?
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. There are 2 types of footprint that make up your total carbon footprint; the direct/primary footprint and the indirect/secondary footprint.
1. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels and includes the energy we use at home and for transportation – air travel creates a primary footprint.
2. The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use - those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown.
What is carbon offsetting?
Everything we do in our daily lives uses energy and produces carbon dioxide emissions, for example taking flights, driving cars, heating or cooling our homes. Carbon Offsetting is a way to compensate for the emissions we produce with an equivalent carbon dioxide saving.
How do I offset my carbon footprint?
The first thing you need to do is calculate your carbon footprint. You can do this online with any of the major offsetting organisations. Why not try CarbonFootprint.com (www.carbonfootprint.com/)? The next thing you need to do is buy carbon offset credits from emission reduction projects – these include things like supporting reforestation projects and developing renewable energy projects.
Projects like this help prevent or remove the same amount of carbon dioxide you emit elsewhere in the world. As CO2 emissions are everywhere in the world, it doesn’t matter where you make your reduction. It will have positive effect on the environment no matter what.