Yes, it’s becoming very trendy to be ‘carbon neutral’ but it’s also a bloody good idea! Barkada tries hard to make its activities low impact on people, culture and the environment, but one thing we can’t avoid is a bit of carbon dioxide (CO2) production (from our vehicles) as we take you around the island. That’s why we are introducing a new carbon neutral initiative that will offset all the carbon we produce, as well as producing benefits for the local communities of Bohol in the form of timber, fruit and other tree products.What does Carbon Neutral mean?
Driving around (consuming gasoline) produces carbon dioxide and other gases which contribute to global warming. Until we replace our conventional vehicles with solar powered cars and motorbikes it is almost impossible to avoid producing this carbon dioxide. But... the good news is we can offset the carbon dioxide we produce by taking it out of the atmosphere again in other ways. If we take out as much carbon dioxide from the environment as we put into it, we will be carbon neutral. One of the simplest ways to do this is to grow trees, which are very good at absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turning it into wood and other useful products.
How much will it cost me?
Nothing! For every trip you take with Barkada, we will put aside some pesos on your behalf. At the end of the year we will organise for a tree (either fruit or timber) to be planted and cared for on your behalf – so you can have completely guilt free fun!
Over the life of a single tree, it will absorb approximately the same amount of carbon dioxide that is produced by one Barkada tour. Because we use small vehicles there is a relatively small amount of emissions so one tree can offset all the emissions.
How it works
Have we pricked your curiosity? Here are some links to more information...
- Wikipedia definition of Carbon Offsetting
- David Suzuki Foundation explanation of carbon offsets
- Other explanation of how it works
