OrganicBunny.com Travel

Those Not-So-Fabulous Flying Machines
by Laura

We’ve talked about green auto rentals, and environmentally friendly hotels - so what about green airlines? Does such a thing exist? I travel frequently, so I wanted to find out. Once I started researching, I discovered that there’s both good news and bad news when it comes to travel by air.

The bad news is that airplanes are just about the most un-earth-friendly way to travel in existence. Not only do planes blast significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, they also "deposit the carbon dioxide where it does the worst possible damage, between 30,000 and 40,000 feet above the earth's surface." (Quoted from greenbiz.com.) The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that aviation causes 3.5 percent of global warming, and that the figure could rise to 15 percent by 2050.

Not heartening stuff. However, there are a few companies out there that care, and even a few airlines that are attempting to clean up their act.

One of the companies that cares is UNIGLOBE Travel International, an international travel management company. The Canadian-based company has launched a "Green Flight program," which allows business travelers to counter the effects of their flight's carbon dioxide emissions. How? By asking travelers to pay a fee which will go to support projects that help to reduce the amount of CO2 emitted.

For more info: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=31044

And the airlines? Japan Airlines seems to be the most serious about environmental management & energy conservation. On their website, they attempt to educate the public about the environmental impact of their entire company - not only their airplanes, but also their offices. Furthermore, JAL encourages student & teacher groups to tour their facilities and learn more about their environmental practices. The company's pro-earth initiatives include waste reduction, managing of chemicals, and "green purchasing," which involves adoption of new fuel-efficient aircraft - good news.

For more info: http://www.jal.com/en/environment/kihon.html

Finally, a little closer to home, airports themselves are being recognized for taking green intiatives. One of the "greenest" airports in the world is Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) - the airport won an energy efficiency award in 2005.

For more info: http://www.greenbizleaders.com/article.cfm?LinkAdvID=65094

Clearly, American Airlines, which has DFW as its major hub (AA operates 84% of the flights out of DFW) is another airline which supports environmental initiatives. Not only do they run DFW and encourage recycling among their employees and customers; they are also the only airline to employ a fleet of unpainted planes. Less paint reduces the aircraft's weight, which reduces the amount of fuel used during a flight - again, a step in the right direction.

So, it seems that there is some hope building. Companies are beginning to understand, to discuss, and to act upon reducing the environmental impact of air travel. But we can help to push this initiative along. Write or email letters to let airlines know that the environment is a prime concern to you, a valuable customer. If you are concerned about air pollution, ask them what they are doing to reduce their emissions. Is there a recycling program in place for the airline? What are they doing to reduce the use of fuel? (Most of the major airlines have a "contact us" or a "customer relations" link as a part of their website which you can use to email them these questions - just as quickly and easily as you can email a friend a message about your day!)

You can also choose to support airlines who include the environment as part of their mission statement (American and Japan were two I found; please let me know if you find others). You can also support programs like the Canadian UNIGLOBE Green Flight Program. Or, think about travel by alternate means when possible (drive a hybrid car, rather than flying, for example). Just because we travel doesn't mean we have to be less environmentally aware.

*Bunny Bonus!

Check out travelmatters.org. On this website, you can track your own personal travel habits & learn how your choices affect the environment.