As the manager of Travelocity's Travel for Good program, one of the big questions I get asked is: Does the carbon offset money really do anything? Do they really plant trees with it?
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!!!
Every single penny donated to our carbon offset program goes to The Conservation Fund's Go Zero program. We partnered with them because they focus on reforestation and they work right here in the U.S. of A. Plus, the Fund has been awarded an A+ rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy and a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. In straight talk, that means your dollars go to work and are not frittered away on high overhead or silly expenses.
But a picture is worth a thousand words, right? That's why Travelocity's Roaming Gnome took a break from counting votes for the Cabin Fever sale and tagged along to help The Conservation Fund plant new trees. Right now, he's at a wildlife refuge in Louisiana putting new saplings in the ground.
Go, Roaming Gnome go!
And this specific reforestation project is not just about trapping CO2. It's also about rebuilding natural habitat for birds. Each fall, hundreds of thousands of migrating birds descend upon the Gulf Coast region to escape the North’s freezing temperatures. Many find shelter within the parks and wildlife refuges of central Louisiana. But over the past century, their wintering habitat has changed. Louisiana’s once lush forests and waterways have been cleared, dammed, leveed, and drastically altered, leaving less habitat for our partners in flight.
Working closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to identify key tracks of land in need of restoration, The Conservation Fund carefully selects each restoration site. Then its biologists choose a mix of native seedlings that will help reestablish a natural ecosystem. As the forests mature, they help keep the birds fed and sheltered, and at the same time, trap carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
So the next time you're winging your way across the country, don't forget the other creatures who enjoy soaring high. Make a donation to Travel for Good's carbon offset program and help our partner The Conservation Fund restore wildlife habitat (and capture some carbon emissions while they're at it).
