Virgin next in line to offer carbon offsets

Virgin Atlantic is the latest airline to offer its customers the option of offsetting their carbon emissions accumulated during their flights. The Gold Standard Offset scheme  is an initiative offered by Virgin Atlantic together with myclimate that will choose to benefit projects in India and Indonesia with the proceeds donated by passengers.

Gold Standard credits are not just a Virgin invention, they are recognized by over 45 non-governmental organizations around the world as a viable way to offset carbon emissions created by air travel. The difference is that Gold Standard credits contribute only to renewable energy projects, not tree planting or gas flaring as some other airline sponsored carbon offset schemes do.

This higher standard of offsetting is currently observed by only Virgin Atlantic, placing them in a place of precedent setting among airlines. The Virgin offset scheme is not just lip-service to the industry’s many counter advocates either, the company has calculated its own environmental responsibility and their impact has been verified through CICS, a greenhouse gas verification company, assuring the public of the purity of their motives.

www.virgin-atlantic.com