Offset Your Carbon at SFO

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You are rushing through SFO on your way to catch a flight back east or perhaps farther west to the Far East and you feel a twinge of guilt about the carbon emissions that will be required to take you there. Have no fear, the airport is now piloting kiosks — much like an ATM — where you can purchase carbon offsets with a simple swipe of your credit card.

As reported on NPR:

“Travelers input the number of miles their trip will cover, how long it will take and the number of passengers they plan to buy offsets for.

For example, for a 6,000-mile-long, 12 hour flight, the carbon offset cost would be about $34.34 for one traveler. The price varies from a few dollars for a short West Coast flight to as much as $70 for an international trip.”

I think that this is a great idea — especially if forward-thinking companies allow business travelers to submit the receipt for reimbursement. It would be an easy way for companies of all sizes to work toward more green travel without having to implement a complicated corporate initiative.

Of course the offsets need to be transparent so that you know what you are buying and how much of the fee goes to overhead and administrative costs. Otherwise it could be a green-washing gimmick. For now, I’ll give SFO the benefit of the doubt on that front and kudos for undertaking the pilot.

What’s your experience with carbon offsets? Worth it or just hype? Do you use an on-line service? a corporate plan? Does the airport kiosk appeal?

The photo is from www.npr.org where it appeared without photo credit.