Successful Meetings - January 2008 - (Page 58)

Travel & Transportation > The Wild Green Yonder fees from its partner, British Airways, to such projects as renewable power generation for schools in India, and restoring rain forests in Uganda. Scandinavian Airlines partners with British firm The CarbonNeutral Company to direct money to such things as wind-energy projects in New Zealand, China, and India. Delta, in contrast, is working with a U.S. group called The Conservation Fund, which specializes in planting forests which the company says help absorb carbon dioxide, filter water, restore wildlife habitat, and enhance public recreation areas. In addition to its partnership with Delta, The Conservation Fund is receiving an increasing number of inquiries directly from groups. “Corporations are coming to us saying they’d like to sell this as part of a package of sponsorship,” says Jena Thompson, executive director of The Conservation Fund’s Go Zero program, which oversees the initiatives. Here, postcards are placed in attendees’ meeting packets making note of the sponsor’s donation. She’s also seen conference organizers themselves include a fee for every attendee and exhibitor, essentially making for a mandatory carbon-offset contribution for an entire meeting. Even the booking engines are getting involved, allowing any airline reservation to have a carbon-offsetting component. Expedia.com has teamed up with TerraPass to offer carbon offsets connected with flight purchases, with a flight of about 2,200 miles being charged $6.75. Travelocity is working with The Conservation Fund to offer the voluntary carbon-offset fee for air, hotel, and rental car purchases. huge difference, perhaps because of their voluntary nature. For example, after two years British Airways has managed to offset a bare 3,000 tons of CO2, or less than one-tenth of one percent of its emissions in that time. Perhaps because of this weak showing, not all airlines have a carbon-footprint offsetting program. “We believe that the most judicious path to environmental sustainability is to make our environmental footprint as small as possible before offsetting the rest,” says Tim Wagner, spokesperson for American Airlines. But he added, “We do continue to evaluate offsetting plans.” But every little bit helps, says The Conservation Fund’s Thompson. “It’s an awareness of behavior, that everyone produces CO2, and of the small things you can do to make a difference,” she says. EVERY LITTLE BIT So far these programs haven’t made a Airline Carbon Footprint Offsetting Carrier: BRITISH AIRWAYS Program: Voluntary donation varying by destination. Other Details: For example, the offsetting fee for London-to-South Africa flight is $27. Carrier: CONTINENTAL AIRLINES Program: Voluntary passenger contribution to Sustainable Travel International Other Details: Travelers can choose to donate to programs that include a Kyoto Protocol-verified renewable energy project, reforestation efforts, and wind farms. Carrier: DELTA AIR LINES Program: Voluntary passenger fee of $5.50 for domestic roundtrip, $11 for international trip. Other Details: Monies donated to The Conservation Fund. Delta will plant a tree for each of its 47,000 employees. Carrier: HARBOUR AIR Program: Inclusion of carbon-offset fee in ticket price. Invests with Offsetters Climate Neutral Society Other Details: Largest seaplane operation globally, this British Columbiabased carrier is the only airline to make carbon offset fees mandatory: No opt-in, no opt-out. Carrier: QANTAS AIRWAYS Program: Voluntary passenger fee, based on estimate of flight’s emissions. Sample: $44 for Sydney to London flight Other Details: Australia-based Qantas pledges to plant 90,000 eucalyptus trees to publicize program. Carrier: SAS GROUP (includes Scandinavian Airlines, Blue1, and Spanair) Program: Voluntary fee based on point of origin/destination. Typically about $5 for trip from Scandinavia to Europe. Other Details: Passengers can pick from various sustainable projects, like renewable energy. Carrier: SILVERJET Program: Fee included with each ticket sold, passengers can opt-out if they choose. Other Details: Passengers have option of where to invest mimegasite.com contributed monies with climate–friendly projects globally. Carrier: VIRGIN ATLANTIC Program: Voluntary fee, with travelers paying sliding scale depending on class of travel and destination. Other Details: Passengers can opt-in while on the plane. Monies benefit green energy-producing projects in India and Indonesia. Carrier: VIRGIN BLUE Program: Voluntary passenger fee, beginning at $1 per ticket. Other Details: Australia-based lowfare carrier will invest in passenger-specified projects that neutralize or avoid emissions and save energy. Carrier: WESTJET Program: Voluntary donation. Carrier invests fee with Offsetters Climate Neutral Society. Other Details: Canadian low-fare carrier offers 2-percent carbon-offset of tickets purchased through www.offsetters.ca, at no charge to passengers. JANUARY 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS 58 http://Expedia.com http://www.offsetters.ca http://mimegasite.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - January 2008

Successful Meetings - January 2008 Contents Editor's Note Associations Research Events Suppliers Associations On the Record Associations Suppliers Planner Spotlight Websites of the Month Management Matters Meeting the Law Personal Success Mouth for Sale Food & Beverage Professional Development On Site Pre-Event Tools of the Trade Veggie Power Tennis, Anyone? Seeing is Believing The Wild Green Yonder Game On Places & Spaces Galveston & Texas Beaches Greater Seattle Singapore Gurus

Successful Meetings - January 2008

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