How can we help reduce our carbon footprint and offset our emissions when planning our next dive holiday?
It is evident by the growing actions taken by people around the world that making sustainable conscious decisions should be our priority. We must accept and understand how our decisions impact the world we live in and future generations. This does not mean that we can no longer travel, go on holidays or enjoy our dive vacations. What it means is that we have to be aware that our flight halfway around the world does have an impact and that we can take action to offset our emission.
At Ceningan Divers / Ceningan Resort, we do our best to make sound business decisions, to choose sustainable options and to put in place best practices that not only reduce our impact as a business but also educate our guests and help our divers become custodians of our ocean planet.
As more consumers demand sustainable options, operators like us, take actions to ensure we can offer our guests viable options! There is more to operating a sustainable, eco-focus dive resort that just adding a few key phrases on our marketing brochures and website. Over the years, we have invested a fair amount of resources, time and money in developing our facilities, training our team, adopting marine code of conducts, adhering to a higher set of standards and pushing ourselves to do more for the environment, the island, our community
So what actions can we take to ensure that our next dive vacation will be sustainable?
For one, there are resources available online to help us make sustainable decisions. Selecting operators that support organizations such as Green Fins, Reef-World Foundation, Reef Check program, or local conservation efforts.
Buying carbon offset to counter the emissions we created when traveling to our dive vacation destination is also a great way to support sustainable development programs while balancing our carbon output. (We’ll get to this very shortly)
REDUCING OUR IMPACT
Here’s some practical tips to reduce our carbon footprint in our daily life.
HOME
- Turn off lights
- Turn down heating
- Properly insulate + draught proof homes
- Switch to energy efficient lightbulbs
- Unplug devices
- Line dry your clothes
- Switch to paperless billing
TRAVEL
- Walk or cycle to work
- Switch to public transport
- Choose electric vehicles
- Reduce or eliminate airline travel
SHOPPING
- Recycle + re-use wherever possible
- Consume less – buy fewer but better
- Try to avoid “fast fashion”
- Buy sustainably-produced food + goods
- Identify eco-friendly goods: The Ecolabel Index >> provides an extensive directory of environmental certifications for various products + services
FOOD
- Eat less meat in favour of more plant-based diets
- Buy locally-sourced, seasonal foods rather than food imported from overseas
- Plant a garden + grow your own veggies
- Reduce or eliminate your consumption of bottled water and other beverages
ENERGY
- Switch to an electricity tariff supplied by renewable energy sources
- Invest in your own sources of renewable energy like fit solar panels, where possible
- Support energy suppliers that are working to provide 100% clean energy
- Check out the RE100 list of global businesses committed to operating on 100% renewable electricity
ADVOCATE
- Vocally support clean energy with friends, family and colleagues
- Tell your representatives how you value renewables and climate-friendly policies
- Vote with your wallet! Support businesses that take climate action
OFFSET WHAT YOU CANNOT AVOID: GO CLIMATE+
However much we try to reduce our footprint, some emissions are still unavoidable. As well as reducing your climate impact, businesses and individuals alike can take positive action to offset their carbon footprints by supporting climate projects that prevent GHG emissions from being released into the atmosphere.
How can we offset our Carbon Emissions and does it really work?
Carbon offsets programs which can be a bit of a controversy, however some absolutely work and support amazing initiatives. We personally use and recommend the World Wildlife Fund Gold Standard (https://www.goldstandard.org/take-action/offset-your-emissions) to counter our own emission at the resort and when we travel.
Once we reduced our climate impact, offsetting is an effective way to reduce emissions globally and create sustainable development benefits for communities around the world. And why not aim high? Go Climate+ rather than simply carbon neutral by offsetting more than just our footprint.
What is Gold Standard
Gold Standard was founded on the principle that climate action cannot be one-dimensional – climate projects must deliver meaningful sustainable development benefits beyond emission reductions. The success of our approach has influenced both the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and other voluntary standards to raise the bar and include sustainable development within some of their climate projects. This all helps deliver on our mission to catalyse more ambitious climate action to achieve the Global Goals.
Gold Standard-certified projects have created nearly $12.4 Billion in shared value for climate action + sustainable development.
To find the details on your climate impact, you use the footprint calculator from WWF UK (https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/).
You can also learn more about the value of carbon credits and how Gold Standard tonnes are priced.