TerraPass partners with Expedia

Will this help break the offsets market out of its niche status?

Posted by David Roberts at 5:36 PM on 28 Aug 2006

In a matter of moments, carbon-offset outfit TerraPass will be announcing a partnership with Expedia, the online travel site. The deal is, when folks book their flights through Expedia, they'll have a chance during the checkout process to offset (their share of) their flight's emissions. Short flights will go for $5.99, longer cross-country flights for $16.99, and international flights (13,000 miles or more) for $29.99.

This is a cool deal that I think will do a lot to break the offsets market out of its niche status. Right now, energy users have to initiate the process -- go to terrapass.com and calculate their own offsets. That's inherently limiting.

Now, it's just another part of booking travel. I'll bet dimes to dollars that other online travel sites will be doing this same thing within a year.

Incidentally, for those of you who like to reward virtuous business practices, TerraPass's Tom Arnold tells me that this is one of the first steps in a process whereby Expedia hopes to become a full-on green travel site.

Oh, hey, look. There's a post about the deal just now on the TerraPass blog. Check that out for more info.

(And yes, this really is my last post. Now I'm leaving for vacation. Really.)

For story: TerraPass partners with Expedia
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Travelocity Offers Carbon Zero Vacations

Great news coming out of the travel industry. Travelocity has partnered with The Conservation Fund's Go Zero program to offer its customers a way to offset travel emissions -- while reforesting some of our most important landscapes and vacation destinations! Since The Conservation Fund is a nonprofit (top ranked by both Charity Navigator and American Institute of Philanthropy) every possible penny goes to fight global warming! Read on ...

To support the growing number of customers concerned with global warming or simply with re-generating forests, wetlands and other elements of nature, Travelocity is the first major online travel company to allow customers to purchase "carbon offsets" during the checkout process when they buy travel.

The program, called Go Zero, allows customers to effectively "zero out" or offset the carbon dioxide emissions generated by their flight, hotel, or car usage through a donation to The Conservation Fund, which then plants trees that absorb carbon dioxide.

The carbon offsets are offered as an option that customers can add during check-out when booking a vacation package on Travelocity. A contribution of $10 offsets an average trip including air travel, a one-night hotel stay, and rental car for one person; $25 negates air travel, four-night hotel stay, and rental car for two people; and $40 equalizes the effects of air travel, four-night hotel stay, and rental car for four people.

by Cfanning at 4:43 AM on 29 Aug 2006

Great!

This really sounds like great news! I hope this will be successful and keep going.

Dannie, Web Programmer currently working on the how to lose 10 pounds project.

by Dannie at 1:55 PM on 26 Feb 2008

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