From subalpine conifer forests to lush tropical rainforests, forests cover nearly one-third of the earth’s land surface. But as people burn and chop down massive amounts of trees, this forest coverage is rapidly dwindling. In 2020, a football field-sized area of tropical forest was lost every four seconds. As our forests disappear, it has a devastating ripple effect on people, wildlife, and the planet.
There are so many reasons why we should conserve our forests and keep them standing. Read on to discover 14 of the incredible benefits that forests provide and consider protecting them by offsetting your carbon footprint!
Gone are the days when hotels could simply put up signs encouraging guests to reuse their towels and then call themselves “green.” As travelers become more aware of the environmental impacts of their actions, they are increasingly choosing brands that adopt eco-friendly practices. With climate change at the forefront of the global sustainability agenda, a growing number of tourism businesses are taking concrete steps to become carbon neutral.
This article provides a roadmap for reducing your hotel’s carbon footprint. We’ve broken it down into three main steps: 1. reduce reliance on fossil fuels, 2. protect forests and blue carbon ecosystems, and 3. Support innovative climate solutions that scale.
Have you heard about carbon offsetting but still have questions or don’t know where to begin?
In recent years, tourism has come under heightened scrutiny for its contribution to the climate emergency and as a result, more attention has been put on the practice of carbon offsetting. Yet it can be difficult to sift through all the information out there and figure out how carbon offsetting fits into your journey as a sustainable traveler.
Join our very own Paloma Zapata and Kaitlyn Brajcich as they demystify carbon offsetting during this virtual event. The webinar will take place at 9am PDT / 12pm EDT on April 8 and is hosted by the Impact Travel Alliance Seattle Chapter. We’ll discuss the role that carbon offsetting plays in being a climate conscious traveler and address some of those burning questions that you may have! Registration is free and all are welcome to join.
As of today, more than 300 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered worldwide. Though there is still a ways to go before the pandemic is over, it’s officially starting to feel like the end is in sight. After a year-long pause, what will the return of tourism look like? Or a better question: what should it look like?
Though terrestrial forests typically get most of the attention, they are not the only ecosystems that possess a natural ability to fight climate change. There are three coastal ecosystems that are also highly effective at sequestering carbon dioxide: mangroves, seagrass, and salt marshes. The carbon that is captured and stored by these coastal ecosystems is known as “blue carbon.” Pound for pound, these blue carbon ecosystems can actually store up to 10 times more carbon than tropical rainforests!
We are currently battling a terrible global crisis. Over the past months, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken millions of lives, shut down tourism, and threatened the livelihoods of countless people. Though COVID-19 is front of mind right now, there is another crisis that will bring even graver consequences for humanity and imperil the destinations we love. That threat is climate change.
