a little while ago, i calculated that my flights to Zambia and Nevis (as well as half a dozen flights within the province last year) total 31,232 miles and make me personally responsible for 623 gallons of fuel consumption and 12,180 additional lbs of CO2 in our atmosphere. in a panic of conscience and an attempt to live a little lighter, i was considering options for offsetting my carbon emissions.

i sincerely appreciate Adam, from TerraPass, taking the time to point me in the right direction with some great criteria for evaluating carbon offset providers as a follow-up comment to that post. i hope his info helped any of you looking for information and an informed decision as well.

i’m think i’ve decided i would really like to go with a Canadian company. unfortunately, my choices seem to be pretty limited… here is one business directory with a list of companies and countries that is a good example of what i’ve found in my searches elsewhere: most of the companies are in the US, with the UK a close second.

Offsetters.ca (used for the Great Canadian Carbon Offset 2006) is based in Vancouver, BC and gives you the opportunity to keep your offset contributions within Canada. they also have an affiliation with WestJet, the airline i fly a LOT within British Columbia. if you book your WestJet ticket through the link on the Offsetters website, a portion of your ticket price will be used to purchase complimentary offsets on your behalf. more info on that here.

things i don’t like about Offsetters? well, for one, Zambia and Nevis aren’t even in their flight calculator list. and their calculation of my offset is $132.80CDN, while with TerraPass it is $64.95USD. i can only assume that difference is based on the cost of the projects i am supporting. i also have yet to thoroughly research Adam’s criteria outline with the company and am (for now) relying on the endorsement of the David Suzuki Foundation and Treehugger blog.

i guess i will be doing a little more research…

and Christina, thanks for the tip. i realize Bullfrog Powered is Canadian as well, but (correct me if i’m wrong) they seem to be a provider of Renewable Energy Certificates (green electricity) in Ontario. i couldn’t find anything to do with carbon offsets on their website.

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