OJM Travel Blog » Eco-Matters

OJM’s Carbon Offset Partnership

editor — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:03:40 +0000

OJM have partnered up with Carbon Offset Scotland (COS) to provide a genuine, local carbon offset service which takes the form of woodland regeneration at Balmuick Farm, Perthshire, Scotland. Only 1.5 hours away from the OJM head office in Edinburgh.

We encourage our customers who offset to visit their trees being planted and see what a wonderful and sustainable project this is.

COS are considerate in their tree planting and recreate traditional woodland with trees native to the area and in turn encourage the regeneration of wildlife habitat. They use local knowledge gained from generations of experience on the farm and expertise of tree planting partners to plant the right trees in the appropriate places.

All trees are planted in reserves and managed woodland where they will live their natural lifespan and meet their biodiversity targets.

How does planting trees offset carbon?
The trees store the carbon, thereby removing it from the atmosphere and offsetting the pollution.

What is the process?
As an example lets imagine a flight.

For each flight, the distance and the number of kilograms of carbon emitted by the journey by the passenger are calculated.
The carbon dioxide emission calculator is based on emission factors provided by U.K’s DEFRA for short and long haul flights. The calculations used are based on data from the U.K. Assumptions: the aircraft is fully occumpied.
1 tree can store 734 kg of carbon dioxide.
1 tree costs £8.50, the necessary amount needed for the offset is added to the price of the customer’s ticket.
The customer receives a personalised Offset Certificate and the satisfaction they know they are fighting climate.

World Responsible Tourism Day

editor — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:03:16 +0000

We are delighted to approve your application to use the 2009 logo.. The logo has been approved on the basis of you supporting the principles of the Cape Town Declaration outlined in the online application form and in our Action pack.

We look forward to you playing an important role in showing what the travel and tourism industry can achieve in making the world a more responsible place to live and travel.

May I wish you a productive and successful 2009.

Best wishes to you and your team,

Yours sincerely,
Araminta Sugden
WRTD Co-ordinator

WTM World Responsible Tourism Day.
Tel: 01892 535943
Fax: 01892 535943
Email: wtmwrtd@janelarcombecommunications.com’

I say, start purifying!

editor — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:48:17 +0000

I would like to congratulate the people of Bundanoon, 100 miles south of Sydney, Australia, for banning the use of bottled water.

I would like more people, especially tourists to start purifying and filtering their own water for drinking.

The amount of waste produced by bottled water is just out of control. Even here in the U.K people have been conned into buying bottled water, even though we have some of the safest cleanest drinking water in the world.

I suggest for travellers to get a recyclable reusable drinking bottles and go online or to your local camping shop to get your purifying kits before you go. You can also get good advice from all good travel clinics

Please check out this link for more water facts…..

http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/sundries.html
http://www.allaboutwater.org/environment.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottled_water#Waste

Cleaning Up the Airlines!

editor — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 05:00:58 +0000

Air transport is having a growing effect on the environment.

How can technological development and research programmes help make aviation greener?

Have any ideas? Let us know!

watch a clip – 9 min

Alternate Jet Fuel?

editor — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:32:58 +0000

Continental Airlines will test a fuel made from algae and jatropha, the latter a tropical shrub with an oil-bearing seed, in a Boeing 737 jetliner during a two hour flight beginning and ending in Houston, USA

read in full