A carbon calculator is a web-based tool that quantifies greenhouse gas emissions (the vast majority of which is carbon dioxide or CO2) from travel activities and energy consumption.  The total impact that is calculated is known as a “carbon footprint”, which is only part of an overall “environmental footprint.” Once the carbon footprint is calculated, options are given to the user for donating to projects that will balance their environmental impacts by reducing emissions elsewhere, creating a net zero impact – also known as being “carbon neutral”.

STI’s basic carbon calculators include options to quantify and offset emissions from air travel, automobile transportation, hotel night stays, home electricity use, conferences and events, and gift offsets as detailed below:

Placing a carbon calculator on your website is an easy and cost-effective way to demonstrate your company’s commitment to environmental responsibility. By encouraging clients to use your calculator to offset their emissions, your company will be supporting the reduction of its impact on global climate change, while simultaneously educating your guests on the importance of reducing their own environmental footprint.

Though their size varies considerably, everyone and every company has a carbon footprint. So, we all share the responsibility of reducing our footprints and offsetting unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, if you have a website and want to encourage visitors to offset their unavoidable emissions, you should have a carbon calculator. They’re ideal for:

• Travel providers: airlines, cruise operators, travel agencies, tour companies, accommodations providers;
• Event organizers: concerts, festivals, conferences, trade shows;
• Non-profits;
• Retail businesses; or
• Any organization interested in promoting environmental responsibility.

Calculators can be offered to your clients, visitors to your website, your employees, or to calculate the emissions associated with company operations. They’re simple to integrate into your website, user-friendly and can add a fun new green flare to your messaging and marketing communications.

STI offers enterprise level custom carbon calculators (see the United Airlines example below), as well as IFrame carbon calculators. Custom carbon calculators are designed to your specifications, whereas IFrame carbon calculators provide a seamless integration into your existing website with only a few lines of code that can be added by you or your web designer.

Our carbon calculators have the look and feel of your site and use your existing navigation, but with all calculations and payment processing occurring on STI’s server. The result is a tool that’s co-branded as your own in conjunction with the industry’s leading offset provider.

Offset Options

STI’s carbon calculators include options to offset air travel, ground transportation, gift offsets, home electricity use, hotel night stays, and events.  Depending on the nature of your business, your company can choose to include any one or combination of these icons in your calculator: 

If your business involves activities not associated with these icons, STI can provide custom carbon footprint and calculator solutions related to other emissions-related activities. Examples of custom options include an event calculator and a SCUBA diving calculator, as well as business, charter bus, cruise lines, and car rental calculators, all of which are examples of industry firsts that we’ve developed for other clients.

Project Selection

STI offers several ‘Best in Class’ offset portfolios to choose from, including:

• CDM Gold Standard compliant renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in developing countries;
• North American renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that are Green-e Climate certified;
• International forestry projects that meet the standards set forth by the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance and or Plan Vivo; and
• Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that have significant community benefits and are available by volume request.  

While each project type will achieve an equivalent amount of emissions reductions, different project types have varied costs and benefits associated with them.  Standard calculators allow users to choose the portfolio that fits their values, interests, and budget, or opt to contribute to a combination of the project types we offer.  If one particular portfolio is most attractive to your company, STI can also make that your default option.

STI’s standard IFrame carbon calculator retails for US$499. Customized solutions are also available and are quoted on a case by base basis. Please email Peter Krahenbuhl (peterk@sustainabletravel.com) for an estimate.

If you’d prefer not to host a carbon calculator on your own website, we would be happy to host it on ours.  Specifically, we can co-brand a web page and add any information you require about the offering.  Please note that STI may charge a nominal fee for this service, depending on the complexity of your custom web page (usually US$100-$200).

Contact STI at info@sustainabletravel.com or 800-276-7764. We can have your IFrame calculator ready for your website in less than 48 hours after receiving payment, whereas the length of time it takes to create a more customized solutions varies.

STI will also provide you with implementation support as well as suggestions on how to successfully integrate the calculator into your sales and marketing materials.

It is important that you and your company to familiarize yourselves with the basic concept of carbon offsetting. Please visit Carbon Offsetting FAQs to get a better understanding of carbon offsetting, and review our carbon offset programs for detailed information about STI’s offset portfolios.

It is imperative that your sustainability efforts expand beyond the integration of a carbon calculator.  STI is not interested in supporting organizations who simply want to use this tool as a marketing tool.  A calculator that sits idle on your website is doing nobody any good, and may draw negative criticism for “greenwashing.”  STI will provide you with the information and resources to help you make this initiative a successful one, but it is up to you to take it to the next level.  While offsetting is a great tool for addressing unavoidable carbon emissions, it is only one of many steps to take in minimizing your company’s impact on our environment.  STI provides numerous services that can help you integrate a more sustainable business model. Contact STI at info@sustainabletravel.com or call 800-276-7764 for more information.

To date, STI has offset hundreds of thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Join some of the industry leaders you see below by adding a carbon calculator to your website.