We created the TravelPost.com Carbon Offset Guide to help travelers navigate the sea of companies and organizations selling carbon emissions offsets. You'll notice the list is shorter than some others you'll find on the web. That's because our Carbon Offset Guide is specifically designed for travelers. If a carbon offset company didn't offer carbon emissions calculations for travel-related activities, we cut them from our list. And instead of just showing the cost per metric ton of CO2, our chart also shows the costs for offsetting two common travel activities - a year of driving (approximately 12,000 miles) and a roundtrip flight from New York to Los Angeles - to help travelers quickly scan their options.
In the first version of our Carbon Offset Guide, we chose to evaluate companies aimed at U.S. travelers. For that reason, we have only evaluated companies selling carbon offsets in US dollars at this time. Stay tuned for the next version of the guide, which will include the similar information for international companies.
We know that things change quickly in today's world. Please contact us with any corrections or updates to this chart.
| Name |
Calculator |
Cost/ton Co2 |
NYC to LA |
12,000 Miles |
For Profit? |
Offset Projects |
Choose Project Option |
3rd Party Certification |
Partnerships with Travel Companies |
Progress (in CO2 pounds) |
Year Founded |
| Carbonfund.org | Air, Car, Home, Wedding, Individual | $5.50 | $4.92 | $17.74 | No | Renewable energy (wind, solar); energy efficiency, reforestation | Yes | Green-e, Environmental Resources Trust, Chicago Climate Exchange, others | Orbitz | -- | 2003 |
|---|
| Cleaner Climate | Air, Lifestyle, Business | $17 | $23.34 | $43.22 | Yes | Energy efficient lightbulbs in South Africa | No | -- | | -- | -- |
|---|
| Climate Friendly | Air, Car, Home, Office | $18.80 | $44.37 | $44.71 | Yes | Gold Standard renewable energy credits | No | GreenPower Services Pty Ltd | | 123 million pounds | 2003 |
|---|
| CO2Debt | Air, Car, Home, Business | $10 | $5.00 | $35.00 | No | Reforestation, carbon sequestration, global warming research | No | -- | | -- | 2007 |
|---|
| Conservation Fund Go Zero Project | Meta calculator | $9.32 | $9.76 | $5.40 | No | Tree planting and carbon sequestration projects | No | Environmental Synergies Inc and Environmental Resources Trust | Travelocity, Delta | -- | 2000 |
|---|
| DrivingGreen | Air, Car, Event, Corporate Fleet | $8.00 | $32.00 | $16.00 | Yes | Farm equipment designed to convert animal waste to renewable energy; projects managed by AgCert International | No | SES-Inc | | 26.28 million | -- |
|---|
| LiveNeutral | Air, Car | $7.50 | $18.75 | $28.00 | No | Chicago Climate Exchange emmissions reduction credits | No | Chicago Climate Exchange | | -- | 2005 |
|---|
| Native Energy | Lifestyle, Travel, Car, Home | $12 | $24.00 | $48.00 | Yes | Wind power, farm methane reduction projects | Yes | Independent certified public accountant | | -- | 2000 |
|---|
| NoCarbons4U | Meta calculator | $5 | $4.69 | $16.64 | Yes | Wind power, tree planting | No | -- | | -- | -- |
|---|
| Prairie Tree Project | Air, Car, Home, Business | $50 | $25.00 | $100.00 | Yes | Tree planting and carbon sequestration in Colorado | No | -- | | -- | 2007 |
|---|
| Sustainable Travel International | Air, Car, Home, Hotel/Lodging | $15.25 | $27.27 | $50.63 | No | Renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable development | No | MyClimate certified | Continental Airlines | -- | 2002 |
|---|
| TerraPass | Air, Car, Home, Dorm, Wedding | $9.95 | $9.95 | $39.95 | Yes | Clean energy (wind, biodiesel); biomass (dairy farm methane); industrial efficiency | No | Green-e program from Center for Resource Solutions | Flexcar, Expedia | 380 million | 2004 |
|---|
| 1. | Sites calculate carbon emissions differently. We calculated annual car emissions using 12,000 miles/year driven in a 1993 Honda Civic with an average 32 MPG. For flights, we calculated emissions for a roundtrip JFK Airport to LAX flight of 4,937 miles. |
| 2. | Meta calculator defined: While most sites have separate carbon emissions calculators for different activities like air, car and home energy use, some sites use what we have chosen to call a meta calculator, defined by us as a calculator designed to determine a person's total carbon footprint, i.e. carbon emissions generated through home, air, car and other energy use, as opposed to one that calculates carbon emissions for one activity at a time. |
| 3. | Choose Project Option: We checked for whether the site allowed customers to designate specific uses for funds raised from their purchases. |
| 4. | Partnerships: In this column, we have only noted partners in the travel industry. |
| 5. | * The Bonneville Environmental Foundation prices its Green Tags differently according to the type of renewable energy you choose to purchase. For example, one Wind Green Tag is $20, while a Solar Green Tag is $56. Also, the site requires a minimum purchase of 2 Green Tags. |
| 6. | Yellow/highlighted fields mean we had to estimate the cost per metric ton of CO2. |
if we're missing an airport or with updated info.