Reduce my Footprint

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Reduce My Footprint (RMF) is an industry-wide scheme created to mitigate the effects of travel on climate change. Every day the normal activities of our lives contribute to the volumes of carbon dioxide and other green- house gases (GHGs) released into the atmosphere. Our personal contribution to these emissions is often referred to as our carbon footprint. The RMF website provides you and your customers with a way to understand the impacts we all have, and to calculate the emissions created by our travel plans. It also enables you and your customers to contribute toward offsetting these carbon emissions through a variety of projects.

Why has Reduce My Footprint been created?

To enable travel industry staff and members of the public, who are concerned about the environmental impact of their travel arrangements, to take positive steps to reduce their carbon footprint. ABTA The Travel Association and the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) have designed RMF to create a culture of shared responsi- bility between the travel industry and the travelling public.

Why carbon offsetting?

We generate carbon emissions in many different ways in our daily life. We can work to reduce some of these emis- sions by making changes to our lifestyle and business practices. For those emissions we can’t avoid, we can use carbon offsetting. By funding projects that actively reduce or remove greenhouse gases, we seek to reduce the overall impact of our actions on the total volume of gases added to the atmosphere.

Why should I care about this issue?

RMF gives you the chance to take positive action against the threat of climate change for yourself, your business and your customers. As the travelling public become more aware of the carbon emissions created by their own travel arrangements, more and more of them will make this subject an important factor when choosing a travel provider. RMF gives you and your customers the opportunity to reduce the impact of their travel in a responsible and sustainable way.

There are lots of carbon-offsetting schemes out there. Why is RMF so special?

RMF has been created especially for the travel industry. In addition to established carbon reduction schemes, RMF also supports tourism destination-based projects through the Travel Foundation. These bring social and economic benefits direct to the local people.

Where does the money go?

The contributions raised are shared between a range of different projects. Neither ABTA nor AITO benefits finan- cially from Reduce My Footprint. Below is the standard breakdown for contributions made to RMF:

•50% toward Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs*)

•20% toward Verified Emissions Reductions (VERs*)

•30% toward the Travel Foundation (TF*)

* To learn more out about VERs, CERs, GHGs and other jargon, go to the Jargon Buster on the Reduce My Footprint website at www.reducemyfootprint.travel

How do I use the Reduce My Footprint calculator?

The RMF carbon calculator is used to calculate the volume of emissions generated by various forms of transport, based on distance travelled and the method of transport. It also calculates the cost of offsetting those emissions, using published information on energy consumption, and gives the opportunity to make contributions to offset those emissions. You can do this directly via the website on behalf of your customers, or you can guide them to the RMF website and allow them to make their own offset payments.

Who is responsible for Reduce My Footprint?

RMF has a Supervisory Board and an Observers Group to guide and oversee its work. The Supervisory Board has been created to include representatives from the travel industry, the scientific community and investment beneficiaries. The Supervisory Board and Observers Group currently comprise:

Supervisory Board – ABTA, AITO, FTO, Forum for the Future (Stephanie Draper, Deputy Director Business Programme), Manchester Metropolitan University Centre for Transport and Environment (Professor Callum Thomas, Professor of Sustainable Aviation).

Observers Group - Travel Foundation/The Converging World, David Gillespie (independent responsible tourism consultant), Noel Josephides (Sunvil), Hugh Somerville (Carbon Offsets Ltd), Barry Newton, (Carbon Offsets Ltd)

Where can I find more information on climate change and carbon offsetting?

This guide is just a brief introduction to Reduce My Footprint. You’ll find more information on all the points covered here at www.reducemyfootprint.travel

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