Even You CAN Eco-Fund

Welcome to your Eco-Funding Travel Guide!

In my last blog, I discussed how traveling can negatively impact our environment. I told you that just ONE international flight can increase your individual carbon emissions by 8,000 lbs (the UN suggests that 6,500 lbs is the sustainable rate of annual carbon emissions by a single person). This means that by traveling internationally, just once, you put your annual carbon footprint above what it takes simply slow down climate change.

BUT, I also told you there is a way to continue traveling while reducing the negative impact you have on the environment. The method is called eco-funding! Here I will go more in-depth on how anyone can easily implement eco-funding into their traveling.

How to Eco-Fund!

When you realize dilly dilly rhymes with Cans for Kili

Eco-funding: the concept of funding trips and travel through environmental sustainability efforts (like collecting cans >).

Step 1: Figure out your goal

In order to eco-fund you first you must determine your measure of success. This means you need to figure out how you are keep track of your eco-funding. Determining how you succeed is important because it determines your eco-funding progress and you environmental impact. Two popular success measures are;

1. Monetary savings/profits: You can calculate your measure of success by keeping track of how much profit you make (collecting & selling cans) or how much money you save (reducing gas consumption) from your efforts. This can be easier to track and is typically the popular choice as it also helps with the monetary funding of your travel. This is the main measure of success for C4K.

How to find your monetary goal: This is an easy one. Your goal is the same cost as your flight. The cost of your flight/travel expenses will ultimately be your monetary saving/profit goal.

2. Carbon Emissions: Carbon Emissions can be harder to track but will give you an EXACT measurement of how your efforts are impacting the environment.

How to find your carbon emission reduction goal: Your goal will be how much carbon emissions you need to reduce for your current annual lifestyle in order to neutralize what you emit on the flight.

- Use this site to figure out your;

- Flights carbon emissions (this will be carbon emissions reduction goal)

Click the flight icon. Remove all information that might skew your carbon emissions. Then add in the miles of your round trip flight.

- Total annual carbon emissions: Go through every icon on the site to calculate this number.

- Take your annual carbon emissions and minus (-) it by your flight carbon emissions. This number will be your yearly annual emissions goal

Step 2: Take Action

In this section we will go through steps, tips, tricks, instructions on how you can go about achieving your eco-funding goal!

If you have a monetary goal:

1. Figure out your average spend on: gas, electricity, meat, etc.

2. Reduce your usage of said methods of carbon emission.

3. Keep track of your monthly spending on methods.

4. Compare your monthly spending on methods to your initial average to your “savings.”

5. These savings can be used towards your eco-funding goal.

6. Any profits made from selling cans or other recyclables can be added your eco-funding goal.

If you have a carbon emission goal:

1. Find the best ways to reduce carbon emissions in your daily life by playing around with the carbon emission calculator. Figure out how much carbon you through unique actions (eating, driving, etc.) and then see how carbon emissions you decrease by reducing those actions. Use “Take Action” feature to see how much emission you save through actions.

I.e. Let’s say you eat 1000 calories of meat everyday. reducing it to 500 calories. That would reduce your footprint by 2 tons!

Mountain Biking through the north face trail in Lake District of England

Other easy ways to hit your goal! Now that you have your process set up for hitting your carbon reducing goal, check out these easy ways you can use to reduce your carbon footprint and save money.

1. Eat less meat, especially red meat. (Trackable by: Monetary and Carbon Emission Tracker)

2. Ride your bike more, reduce gasoline consumption. (Trackable by: Monetary and Carbon Emission Tracker)

3. Use less electricity by reducing usage of air condition, heating, lighting, TV, etc. (Trackable by: Monetary and Carbon Emission Tracker)

4. Be less aggressive with your driving (Trackable by: Monetary and Carbon Emission Tracker)

5. Unplug cords that are not in use (Trackable by: Monetary and Carbon Emission Tracker)

6. Collect and sell cans, copper wiring, and any other recyclable material. (Trackable by: Monetary)

7. Line dry clothing (Trackable by: Monetary and Carbon Emission Tracker)

8. Plant Trees (Trackable by: Carbon Emission Tracker)

9. Reduce waste/increase recycling (Trackable by: Carbon Emission Tracker)

10. Check out more ways you can hit your goal here!