Guest Author - Jill Browne

Usually Budget Travel talks about saving money - your financial travel budget. Sometimes we work in other budgets, like your time budget and your "enjoyment" budget. This time, we will consider the carbon budget.

Some people consider the problem of global warming to be controversial, but the United Nations scientific panel is one authority that says we humans are causing global warming. For travellers who want to reduce their own environmental impact, there are some things that can be done.

Unfortunately, airplane travel has one of the highest carbon impacts of any form of travel. Despite the discount airlines and competitive fares, we have to ask, "Can I justify this trip?"

Author George Monbiot, in his book, Heat, suggests that we should all limit our flying to "love miles". Those are trips taken for something - someone - really important,say your brother's wedding. Monbiot says the best form of travel is the bus. Cruise ships are almost as bad as airplanes, although this may vary considerably with the size of the ship and its efficiency.

There is no one-size-fits-all-travellers solution. A vacation is a hard-earned thing, and not something to feel guilty about. However, it is good to at least be aware of your carbon footprint and of your own environmental impact.

Each gallon of gasoline burned puts about five pounds of carbon into the air. Amazing, isn't it?

There are a number of free carbon calculators available on the internet. These will help you figure out how much carbon a trip will consume. In planning travel, consider the various alternative modes of transportation. For example, if a group is travelling, consider car pooling. Plan routes which will result in the least number of total miles driven. This works well for family reunions and weddings. Pick the location which is the best carbon choice.

The David Suzuki Foundation's website has information about reducing your carbon footprint, including through the use of carbon offsets. This is where you take a trip, and based upon how much carbon your trip generated, you purchase a carbon offset for that amount. The seller of the offset gets money, to either stop their own carbon consumption or to do
something to sequester carbon in the environment, for example by planting trees.

Carbon offsets are another controversial topic, and not all carbon offsets are created equal. There is the potential for fraud and abuse of the carbon offset system. The Suzuki Foundation has some offsets which it has investigated and recommends.

The use of ethanol (made from corn) as a substitute for gasoline is also controversial. Producing ethanol from corn uses a lot of energy, so the net saving is not necessarily worth it. People who rely on corn as a fairly cheap food are finding the price is going up, making life very difficult for those on subsistence wages.

One way to reduce carbon consumption is to turn off the air conditioner. How? It takes some planning. Consider travelling to cooler places, going at cooler times of year, and picking accommodations with natural shade. Trees are amazingly effective air conditioners. Don't underestimate them when you plan your stay.

Depending upon the latitude and the season, the direction in which your room faces makes a difference to the temperature. In the northern hemisphere, north-facing rooms are much cooler than south-facing ones. This effect is more pronounced as you go farther away from the equator, and is more extreme at the summer and winter solstices. A south-facing room in Calgary, Alberta will be quite hot in summer and pleasantly warmed by the sun in winter - though you will still need to turn on the heater. Choose a north- or east-facing room in the summer, and a south- or west-facing room in the winter, and you will not have to use so much energy to keep the temperature comfortable.

Pavement gives off a lot of heat. To enjoy the benefits of natural summer cooling, choose a resort surrounded by plants rather than concrete.

To be a carbon-conscious traveller, investigate a little bit. You may find that keeping your carbon budget down will also save you money.

This is a link to the book "Heat" by George Monbiot. It is about global warming, not budget travel. I referred to it in this article because I think Monbiot makes interesting reading and states his case clearly. He is the one who suggests limiting air travel to "love miles".