Detour Goes Carbon Neutral!

International travel has so much good to offer, from much-needed relaxation to cross-cultural understanding and learning about new people and ecosystems around the world. But carbon emissions from flights and ground travel are troubling. Travel by mechanized mean, especially by flying in airplanes, contributes greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, adding global climate change. Detour believes we should all miminize our carbon emissions by changing our lifestyles, and then should offset the remaining emissions with carbon credits. To that end, Detour has partnered with Carbonfund.org, the country's leading carbon reduction and offset organization, to offset the carbon emissions of the company's office and employee travel, and to allow travelers to purchase offsets for their travel. Although Detour minimizes it carbon emissions through its business model as a virtual company, with only a small wind-powered office, employees working from home, and a biodiesel fueled company car, Detour has now offset the remaining carbon footprint of its office and operations, and is able to make some of the adventure tripswe offer carbon neutral.

Detour has purchased 70 tons of carbon offsets, all in the area of renewable energy. Our operations and office, which is powered with natural wind, don't emit 70 tons of carbon emissions a year, but we are passionate about protecting the earth, and are happy to donate to renewable energy in this way.

Sustainable Living

We strongly urge you to minize your impact on the planet. Buying carbon credits should not absolve you of the environmental sins in your life, but rather should be what you do in addition to the steps you take to minimize your carbon emissions and resource usage. Carbon credits can't stop global climate change on their own--the only way to achieve that is by changing how we live. But credits that go towards reforestation, renewable energy, or energy efficiency are also important steps to keep our planet nice.

Detour's sustainable office practices:

• We are a virtual company -- customers reach on us the internet, not by traveling to our office by vehicles
• Paperless business model—we don't print brochures or customer documents--everything is sent electronically
• Our office is 100% Wind powered
• We encourage non-motorized travel to our office (the office location was selected based on ease of travel by public transportation/foot travel)
  • This has worked well enough that we gave away our office parking spaces to a nearby chiropractor's office
• Employees work from home around the world
• We cool our office with a low-energy, cfc evaporative cooler instead of air conditioner
• We recycle and re-use as much as possible
• Our company vehicle is fueled with biodiesel
• We hire employees who share our mission of environmental and social responsibility
• Minimize our flights overseas, and try to fly smart, travel by public transportation
• What we can't reduce we offset through carbon credits with carbonfund.org

Offset your international travel (and more) with carbonfund.org

Taking a trip has negative environmental impacts, most notably from the carbon emissions of your airplane travel. These emissions are greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change. Although staying home is an option, we encourage you to minimize your carbon emissions in other aspects of your life, make sure you are a sustainable traveler by choosing a sustainable trip, and then behave responsibly on your trip. Take fewer and longer trips, and try to get direct flights with fewer stops. Finally, purchase carbon credits to offset the emissions of your flights from carbonfund.org. Click here, carbonfund.org, to go to carbonfund.org's online calculators where you can calculate your carbon emissions and purchase offsets.

Carbonfund.org

Carbonfund.org, the country's leading carbon reduction and offset organization, is a non-profit organization whose goal is to make carbon offsets and climate protection easy, affordable and a normal way of life for every individual and business. Carbon offsets enable individuals and businesses to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in one location, where it is cost effective, to offset the emissions they are responsible for in their normal activities, like home, office, driving or air travel emissions. For instance, a clean, zero CO2 wind farm can offset the carbon dioxide produced by a coal-fired power plant. By supporting renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects Carbonfund.org will retire an equivalent amount of carbon offsets. The financial support from these offsets will then help to continue the development of clean, renewable domestic sources of energy.