Curb the impact of business travel

- Here's something interesting. A single round trip flight from Los Angeles to New York emits a ton of carbon dioxide per passenger. That's roughly equal to the amount an American SUV driver emits in one month. Surprising, right? Air travel uses a lot of fuel. What is your workplace's travel policy? Does it encourage employees to take alternative modes of transit when available and fly only when necessary to reduce the environmental impact of your trip? Knowing that, how might we cut back our business travel to reduce our collective carbon footprints? First, let's ask whether we really need to be at a meeting that requires traveling a long distance. If the answer is yes, but we might not need to be there in person, could you use your workplace's conferencing software to make long distance communication seamless and comfortable? If you need to be in person at the meeting, are there other transportation modes to get there? Is taking a train an option? Some trips, especially in places like Europe, where there are extensive train networks are actually faster by train than by plane, saving time, money, and emissions. If flying is the only option, there's a few things to consider. Can your journey include airports that are transit connected to arrive via alternative transportation? Can you pack less, which results in less weight for the aircraft, and consider taking a direct flight? Direct flights use less fuel, fly fewer miles, and result in lower emissions per person, since a lot of fuel is used during taxiing, takeoff, and landing. You might also look at the type of aircraft you'll be traveling on. Not all aircraft or airlines are created equal, and some are much more efficient than others. Many airlines have already made big commitments to our environment like going carbon neutral or directly investing in companies that produce sustainable aviation fuel. I realize that you might not make some of these decisions yourself. So how might you impact the travel booking process at your workplace? Can your procurement system include a default option for direct flights? Are all flights defaulted to economy, which have a lower carbon emissions than business class? Does the purchasing process automatically pay for carbon offsets dedicating funds to projects that remove heat trapping gases from the atmosphere? Many workplaces, airlines, and airports offer programs for us to pay to offset the carbon produced during our flight. Some programs invest in tree planting, while others focus on in sector investments, like electric ground support equipment or even sustainable aviation fuel. The Good Traveler program is a great place to start learning about your options. Let's start to think differently about our business travel. Many airports and airlines already are. How you shift the culture and the policies at your workplace to be more mindful of the environmental impacts business travel creates and what small actions can mitigate these for both you as a traveler and your company overall? Because after all, a change might start with you.