SAGE is committed to minimizing our environmental impact on the planet. Yet, needless to say, air travel consumes fossil fuels and has an impact - a carbon footprint. We hope that you will decide to offset your carbon footprint by making a donation to a project that is having a positive impact - and SAGE will match your donation, dollar for dollar.

What is my carbon footprint? You can think of your contribution to global climate change as a 'footprint': your impression left on the world as a result of how you live your life. A student who rides her bike to school, recycles and grows some of her own food in a backyard vegetable garden has a significantly smaller footprint than a business man who must fly a lot for work, often eats fast food and goes through a couple plastic water bottles a day.

You can calculate your personal carbon footprint here (same place for you to calculate your SAGE flight footprint!) by analyzing your lifestyle.

What are carbon offsets? Carbon offset projects are a way to balance out the carbon emissions you cannot reduce yourself. By taking an adventure with SAGE you cannot help but participate in activities that emit a lot of greenhouse gases. Air travel is especially damaging because the gases are emitted into the higher, more delicate layers of the atmosphere. By choosing to offset your flight, you are not only acknowledging your impact on the environment but you are acknowledging that it is important to do something about it. By donating money to projects that reduce emissions elsewhere, you are helping to get the world back into balance.

Be a part of the solution - Calculate your flight footprint.

Your long international flight will be by far the largest source of harmful emissions during your trip. Offsetting your flight is therefore the best place to start making a difference. For example, SAGE is based in Fort Collins, Colorado. A round trip for one person from Denver, Colorado to New Delhi, India is about 15400 miles, and generates 4.25 metric tons of CO2. Had we chosen not to take that flight, in a typical day we might only generate 0.01 metric tons of CO2 with our normal transportation choices.

Steps:

1. Calculate the carbon impact of your flight: Visit the carbon calculator at http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx.
1. Click on the 'Flight' Tab
2. Enter your flight information
3. Click to include radiative forcing (this accounts for the fact that long flights are typically at higher altitudes so the CO2 is being emitted into the more delicate layers of the atmosphere and are doing more damage).
4. Click "Calculate & Add To Footprint"
5. Click "Offset Now" to see a list of the Carbon Footprint projects.
2. Send us your impact: Once you see how many tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) your flight emits into the atmosphere, let us know:
• How many metric tons of CO2 does your flight emit?
• How much will it cost to offset these emissions?
3. Choose a project: For those who are traveling to Asia, Africa or Central America, Carbon Footprint has offset projects set up within these countries. For those who are traveling elsewhere, we will find you a project located in the destination you are traveling to.
4. We'll match it! We will match, dollar-for-dollar, your donation to reflect our commitment to sustainable international travel. We will also send you a certificate acknowledging the important contribution you have made to the betterment of the environment.
Please let us know about your carbon impact so that we can help you offset it, and match your donation!

 

How is SAGE making a difference? To show our commitment to a sustainable future, we not only encourage you to offset your travel, but beyond that, SAGE will match your donation, dollar-for-dollar, to further offset the carbon impact of the international travel. While your donations mirror your international travel by going toward carbon offset projects all over the world, we're doing our part by supporting a local non-profit: Trees, Water & People, an organization committed to helping communities sustainably manage their natural resources. We match your offset donation by working with Trees, Water & People to complete reforestation work locally in Colorado, plant trees and construct clean-burning stoves in Central America and Haiti. Learn more about Trees, Water & People and these important projects here.