“Offsetting CO₂” with the Eco-Schools - Climate Care partnership
  
The Eco-Schools International Coordination has teamed up with Climate Care, an organisation which permits individuals and organisations to reduce their own impact on global warming.  Follow this link to find out about Climate Care and this Partnership.
  
Under the Eco-Schools – Climate Care partnership, individuals, organisations, companies or institutions (such as government departments, local government, or schools) can take responsibility for their contribution to global warming through pollution caused from air travel, using the CO₂ (carbon dioxide) offset programme.
  

  
Your contribution will fund projects that reduce emissions by the same amount as your flight creates, making your flight “climate neutral”.  The money is invested in projects such as renewable energy and reforestation which either reduce emissions at source or absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere. This is called a carbon offset. Click here to find out information about Climate Care projects.
  
There are three basic ways in which this Partnership can provide a solution (follow the link to know more, below).

for individual travel
for organised events involving international air travel
for all air travel by an institution per year or per semester

  
Adding value:  Under this partnership, a percentage of the payments will go to support the development of an international education and action programme on climate change for Eco-Schools.

Individual travel:  As described earlier, individuals can offset their own impact to global warming from their air travel by using the “air travel calculator” on the internet, finding out how much CO₂  is produced for a specific journey, and can then pay online to invest in projects which will neutralise the CO₂ produced by that travel.  To see the “air travel calculator”, go to www.climatecare.org/eco-schools.  Each person will receive a certificate to confirm the airtravel for the specific journey has had its CO₂ offset.
  
  

Events responsibility:  International events such as conferences, workshops, meetings etc bring people together from different parts of a country, continent and maybe the world.  If travelling by air, then the impact from pollution on the environment, in particular on global warming, can be considerable.  Event organisers can arrange to have a whole event made CO₂ neutral (relative to air travel) through this offset programme if they know the origin of each of the participants. 
  

Event organisers will get a document/certificate to confirm that the airtravel for the specific event will be offset, which the organisers can use to inform all the participants and the event stakeholders and supporters.  The Eco-Schools Coordination will post, on its international website, the list of events which have been made CO₂ neutral.
   
Case study:  see the example of the upcoming FEE General Assembly!
   
   

Institutional travel:  Many organisations, government institutions, companies and other entities must travel by air as part of their normal work activity.  If they follow a serious environmental policy and are concerned about the impact of their travel on global warming, then they can arrange through this Partnership to offset the CO₂ from the annual or semestral air travel.  It will be necessary to keep a list of all the flights taken by staff over the specific period of time.
  

The institution or organisation will receive a document/certificate to confirm that its airtravel  will be offset, for a specific period of time or to specific destinations, which it can use to inform all staff, stakeholders, etc.  The Eco-Schools Coordination will post, on its international website, the list of institutions, organisations and companies which have taken on the challenge to make their air travel CO₂ neutral.
  
    

For more information, contact the Eco-Schools International Coordination.

  
  
  
  
Eco-Schools International Coordination is hosted by FEE Portugal
Other FEE Programmes:     Blue Flag        LeAF        YRE
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