One of the challenges for people and companies wishing to reduce their carbon output is travel. It is harder to chose a "green" option when it comes to travel these days, however that doesn't necessarily mean that you will have to walk to that meeting across town versus driving there.
Looking for some options to help you to create a more efficient trip can really help drive down the emissions from that journey.
Booking direct flights, staying at hotels with Energy Star appliances or opting for public transportation can have a big impact on your carbon footprint.
The Green Baroness is going to tackle each step for your journey in the quest to offer travellers some greener options. First up is Air Travel.
Aviation is responsible for 2% of global carbon-dioxide emissions. While Virgin Airways, Continental Airlines and Deutsche Lufthansa among others are testing bio fuels, they're years away from making a regular run on coconut oil etc. , so while we cannot wait until that technology is available there are two biggest factors in a flights emissions- whether it runs nonstop and the age of the aircraft. You may use these two factors when booking a flight to get the most efficient flight possible.
A nonstop flight is generally less harmful that one with intermediate stops, as plans utilize more fuel for take off and landing then when cruising at high altitudes.
Also travelling an efficient route but in an old clunker of a plan will defeat the purpose. To see emissions for your individual flight check www.carbon.trx.com from TRX, an Atlanta based travel software company.
You will learn that emissions vary greatly among individual flights- for example, a New York - San Fransisco trip on Delta emits 595 pounds of carbon dioxide in a 735H. The same flight in a Delta 757 craft emits 38% more carbon dioxide.
