Travelers may indeed want a greener way to travel, but offsetting
greenhouse gas emissions is not it.

According to latest reports, planting trees (usually in tree plantations or
"desert forests") causes more emmissions, as well as many more problems.

For example, please see article by Larry Lohmann of the World Rainforest
Movement:

" The carbon shop: planting new problems "
http://www.wrm.org.uy/plantations/material/carbon.html#fix

Also:
http://www.sinkswatch.org/pubs.html
http://www.tni.org/ctw/

If travellers (and indeed travel businesses) would like to donate to eco &
social projects,
let them do so directly. No need to use dubious science and pr tricks.

Otherwise we will become no different that the ones we claim we are trying
to reform.

Antonis B. Petropoulos

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ECOCLUB
international ecotourism club
www.ecoclub.com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

-----Original Message-----
From: green-travel@yahoogroups.com [mailto:green-travel@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: 15 April 2005 00:36
To: green-travel@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [green-travel] Digest Number 778




There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Travelers Want a Greener Way to Travel by Air
From: "Brian T Mullis"
<BrianMullis@...>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2005 06:13:23 -0600
From: "Brian T Mullis" <BrianMullis@...>
Subject: Travelers Want a Greener Way to Travel by Air

THE RESULTS ARE IN:
TRAVELERS WANT A GREENER WAY TO TRAVEL BY AIR

Boulder, CO (April 2005) - Recent concern over transportation related
global warming impacts from greenhouse gas emissions has resulted in
various
carbon mitigation programs being launched in the U.S. and Europe to offset
these impacts. However, the question is: Does anyone care?

U.S.-based Sustainable Travel International (STI) teamed up with the Anavo
Group consulting firm to survey business and leisure travelers and assess
their understanding of and interest in purchasing "carbon offsets" to
neutralize the greenhouse gas emissions from their air travel.

Offsetting greenhouse gas emissions is a straightforward process. Payments
from the purchase of carbon offset are used to invest in environmentally
friendly projects such as planting trees or investing in renewable energy
that reduce future carbon production, such as installing solar panels in
developing countries to replace energy from crude oil, for example.

Anavo and STI designed the survey to be both informative and thought
provoking, introducing survey participants to a few facts before asking a
series of questions: travel accounts for one third of world wide climate
damaging emissions, and air travel is fastest growing contributor to global
warming. The results of the survey* are eye opening, and help to reinforce
a
new travel related carbon offset initiative in the U.S. called MyClimate.

Based on an average airline ticket of $300, an overwhelming 94.7% of
respondents said they were willing to be charged between $5-50 more for
their ticket in order to mitigate the greenhouse gas impacts from their air
travel. The greatest percentage of respondents (27.7%) claimed that they
would pay up to $20 more for their ticket. Interestingly enough, that's
more
than it would cost to offset the average flight.

When the participants who claim that they are environmentally conscientious
were filtered out, leaving only the non-environmentally conscientious
responder, it was discovered that 83.3% of respondents would pay between
$5-50 more for their ticket in order to mitigate the greenhouse gas effects
of air travel.

Of the people that book through travel agencies, the majority of
respondents
(45%) said they would be willing to switch to travel agencies that provide
full or partial off-setting of emissions if their were little or no
additional costs. Travel agents, in turn, would voluntarily donate a
portion
of their service fee to MyClimate, for example, as a type of 'cause
marketing' campaign.

When asked if consumers would be willing to switch to online travel booking
agencies (such as Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia) that provide full or
partial off-setting of emissions at little or no additional cost, an
overwhelming 89.9% of respondents said they would switch. It should be
noted
that 6.3% of respondents said they do not use online booking sites.

"Based on these results," explains STI Vice President Peter D. Krahenbuhl,
"online booking agencies that offer this type of service would gain
considerable competitive advantage and market differentiation. Also, STI's
MyClimate business model is based on revenue sharing, so travel providers
who participate in our program can increase their revenue as well."

In gathering information on business interest in sponsoring carbon offsets,
results were fairly consistent, albeit - just a bit more skeptical. A
majority of the respondents (44.7%) said that they thought their business
would be willing to pay an additional $5-10 per plane ticket if their
emissions are mitigated. This indicates that companies are concerned about
being perceived as environmentally conscientious and are interested in
increasing their brand value.

"Companies that already pursue this type of cause marketing," Krahenbuhl
continues, "often do so with a higher return on their investment than
through traditional marketing outlets." Research like the survey undertaken
by STI and Anavo clearly shows that both consumers and therefore businesses
are basing their purchasing decisions on their values.

To review the full survey summary analysis and to learn more about carbon
offsetting, visit www.my-climate.com.

*Note: Surveyed travelers were broken down into four major categories:
business vs. leisure travelers, and environmentally conscious vs.
non-environmentally conscious consumers. Survey results vary slightly for
each subcategory.

###

About Anavo Group Inc. - www.anavogroup.com. The Anavo Group is a
consulting
firm that enhances business performance by translating sustainability
concepts into profitable solutions. Anavo delivers revenue-generating
solutions by developing a clear strategy, creating the right messages, and
connecting clients with the right partners and customers. Anavo helps
conscientious companies gain a competitive advantage with measurable
results
that can be proudly shared with customers, suppliers, employees,
communities, and the world. For more information, contact Jennifer C.
Boulden (406) 682-5096 or Jen@....

About Sustainable Travel International (STI) -
www.sustainabletravelinternational.org. Sustainable Travel International
(STI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, membership-based organization whose
mission
is to ensure responsible tourism around the globe by building awareness,
appreciation and respect for local people and their environment within the
tourism industry through education and outreach. For more information,
contact Brian T. Mullis (720) 273-2975 or brianm@....






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