Intrepid Travel, in conjunction with its not-for-profit arm The Intrepid Foundation, has launched an initiative with the carbon offsetting subscription service Offset Earth. The monthly service will allow customers to offset their personal emissions while encouraging users to make positive lifestyle changes for the environment.
Travelers can subscribe to Offset Earth with a subscription plan starting at CAD $8.75 per month, an actionable way to be part of the climate crisis solution. Offset Earth then partners with climate projects all over the world to offset carbon emissions on behalf of subscribers and, as an added bonus, plants trees. By committing to a subscription plan via the Offset Earth x Intrepid page, Intrepid Travel will match subscribers tree for tree, meaning for every tree planted through Offset Earth, Intrepid will plant one too, effectively doubling their offset contribution.
"The rise of subscription services has been prolific, from Netflix and Amazon Prime to Dollar Shave Club and HelloFresh. But what about subscribing to offset your carbon?" says James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel.
"The effects of climate change are undeniable. Now in 2020, with bushfires currently ravaging Australia, where our company is headquartered, we are witnessing a physical manifestation of the climate crisis and a brutal reminder of the urgency of the situation. For less than the cost of a Netflix subscription, you can commit to a subscription service that helps the planet," adds Thornton.
For the starting monthly subscription rate to Offset Earth's carbon offsetting platform, the service will plant 12 trees matched by 12 trees on behalf of Intrepid Travel, while also offsetting subscribers' carbon emissions with Gold Standard credits, removing 22 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year. The program also helps users set goals to reduce their carbon footprint overall, such as refusing single-use items, not supporting fast fashion and taking public transportation to work.
"Carbon offsetting is a way to limit our damage while we explore new technologies and solutions to reduce our emissions globally. But to make a real difference, we must all collectively work towards meaningful reduction strategies in our everyday lives," said Thornton.
"We hope this partnership with Offset Earth will help people consider their carbon footprint and encourage them to start taking action against climate change by way of their own personal habits and choices."
Intrepid's trees will be planted in Kenya's Kijabe Forest, a short drive from Nairobi, by Eden Reforestation Projects and local community partners, which travelers will get to visit on select Kenya itineraries in 2020. The reforestation project will also employ local people, many of whom are single mothers, to help plant the trees and keep the forest safe.
This is just one more step in Intrepid's work and advocacy in the climate space. The responsible tour operator has been carbon neutral since 2010 and in 2018 was recognized as the world's largest travel B Corporation. In 2020, Intrepid Travel will become a climate positive business, offsetting more carbon than it emits through its trips and operations. All Intrepid trips are offset on behalf of each traveler and the company is continuing to reduce emissions across its itineraries.
Furthermore, Intrepid Travel is a founding signatory of the Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency initiative, which commits the company to reshape the short, medium and long-term strategy and business model of Intrepid, and requires that the entire business design be rethought of in the context of a Climate Emergency, which includes ongoing commitment to carbon neutrality and setting a science-based target in 2020.
To sign up to Offset Earth, visit https://offset.earth/intrepidreforest. Once subscribed, users can watch their digital forest grow, check in on the Kijabe project, and set goals to reduce their annual carbon footprint.
For more information, visit: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/travel-powered-forest/.
Topics From This Article to Explore
