Halogen Guides recently spoke with Nancy Bsales of the leading carbon offset provider TerraPass to chat about offsetting private jet travel and what’s next in the world of mitigating environmental footprints. Last year, our friends at the environmental blog Treehugger challenged Halogen Guides to “keep highlighting environmental issues and organizations.” Since then, we’ve been looking at carbon offsets as a way to significantly mitigate the environmental impact of private aviation.

How do TerraPass programs differ in private aviation?

Nancy Bsales: Since each aircraft burns fuel at a different rate, the emissions statements and offset programs are customized to your aircraft.

What has been the general response from the private jet industry?

Bsales: We have been working with private aviation for over one and a half years and the response has been terrific. We have created programs for almost every type of aviation business. Sentient and Avantair were real leaders with the programs they put together with TerraPass for their members. Now we are working with the whole range of aviation including charter companies, leisure pilots and corporate aircraft. In the future we should see additional custom programs created for aviation-related businesses. There’s no doubt that the aviation industry is working hard to develop technologies to improve efficiency and emissions, unfortunately that technology is not yet ready. That’s why we encourage individuals who fly privately to take the opportunity to fight climate change by joining TerraPass.

Do you have any major partnerships in the pipeline that may help close the gap between buying your airline ticket and purchasing a carbon offset?

Bsales: TerraPass has a major partnership with Expedia.com which allows people to offset their flights at the time of purchase. We are also exploring partnership opportunities with individual airlines. Within private aviation we also have partnerships to bridge this gap.

How do Terrapass’ offset projects differ from its competitors? For instance, why does TerraPass not include tree planting projects in its portfolio.

Bsales: We only do projects that can achieve measured, verified reductions in the same vintage year as they are purchased. That’s why we offer renewable energy from wind power, farm power from methane digesters operating on animal waste and landfill gas capture. Unfortunately tree plantings impact isn’t really felt for decades. We think that’s too late for such a pressing problem as global warming.

What do you tell people who question the morality of offsets, likening them to modern day “indulgences”?

Bsales: People are making a mistake if they believe offsets free anyone from the responsibility of trying to reduce their own carbon footprint. A recent TerraPass survey of our own members showed a community of active environmentally active people. Over half walk, bike or take public transportation to work and they are five times more likely to drive a hybrid. We all create emissions and can take proactive steps to reduce them. For instance everyone can combine business trips to lower emissions.

Is there a bigger challenge for a for-profit company like TerraPass to attract consumers versus a non-profit?

Bsales: We’ve managed to be successful because consumers realize we offer a high quality offset product at a fair price. TerraPass offsets are not donations to a cause, they are real verified reductions we sell to balance out our customers’ carbon footprint.

What can you tell us about the development of standards across the carbon offset industry?

Bsales: There has been some really exciting work done recently with new standards for the voluntary carbon market. We particularly like the Voluntary Carbon Standard, just released this past November. We also think the Gold Standard is especially good for work in the developing world.

TerraPass now sells offsets for weddings and dorm rooms. What’s next?

Bsales: We have a carbon balanced business program that allows businesses of all sizes to use our calculators to measure their footprints. We also have launched an online store for energy saving products to help people directly reduce their carbon footprint.