true true -3 <img alt="Falcon 2000EX" src="http://realestate.halogenguides.com/ul/images/v1/falcon2000ex-200px.jpg" width="143" class="floatright" />Last week, the popular eco-blog <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/ecoamerica_feat.php">Treehugger.com</a> challenged Helium Report to "keep highlighting environmental issues and organizations" after reading our recent post listing <a href="http://realestate.halogenguides.com/daily/2006/12/13_ways_to_give_away_your_bonu.php">13 Ways to Give Away Your Wall Street Bonus</a>. So with the help of <a href="http://www.terrapass.com">TerraPass</a>, we calculated the cost to offset carbon dioxide emissions when flying in a <a href="http://jets.halogenguides.com">private jet</a>. <strong>We were surprised to find it costs less than 1% of the flying cost per hour to fly carbon neutral.</strong> We reviewed ten popular jets in four categories and found the cost to fly carbon neutral ranges from $7 to $60 an hour &mdash; a minuscule amount when flying private costs $2,000 to $13,000 an hour. For less than $10,000, you can offset 200 hours in a Falcon 2000, a 10-seat jet that costs more than $25 million. <img alt="Helium Report Carbon Neutral Jets" src="http://realestate.halogenguides.com/image/show/private-jet-carbon-dioxide-emissions.jpg" width="610" style="border:3px solid #ccc; padding:2px;" /> _Chart numbers updated on 10/18/2007_ <a href="http://www.terrapass.com">TerraPass</a> offers a Google mash-up <a href="http://www.terrapass.com/flight/flightcalc.html">widget</a> where you can enter your flight itineraries and calculate your carbon dioxide emissions when flying commercial. TerraPass is one of several new firms that helps you balance your emissions by funding clean energy projects such as wind farms. Last year, the company partnered with <a href="http://www.expedia.com">Expedia.com</a> to offer carbon offsets for flights booked through the online travel site. Ranging from $5.99 for a short flight to $29.99 to an international flight, the carbon offsets are popular among eco-minded travelers. <a href="http://www.terrapass.com"><img alt="TerraPass logo" src="http://realestate.halogenguides.com/ul/images/v1/TerraPass_200px.jpg" width="143" class="floatright"/></a>If it's that easy to fly carbon neutral on a commercial flight, then Helium Report encourages private air travelers to do the same. It's less than 1% of the cost of flying. Our analysts discovered: <ul><li>An hour in a private jet burns as much fuel as one year of driving.</li> <li>It costs less than $50 an hour to offset a $10,000 an hour private jet flight.</li> <li>President Bush can fly carbon neutral on Air Force One for $200,000 (half his annual salary).</li></ul> <img alt="An Inconvenient Truth Movie Poster" src="http://realestate.halogenguides.com/ul/images/v1/inconvenienttruth-150px.jpg" width="100" class="floatleft" />Al Gore knows all too well what a difference 1% makes. The self-proclaimed "former next President of the United States of America" helped make "<a href="http://blog.oup.com/oupblog/2006/11/what_do_al_gore.html">Carbon Neutral</a>" the Word(s) of the Year for 2006. Now he's training <a href="http://tedblog.typepad.com/tedblog/2007/01/al_gores_climat.html">1,000 acolytes</a> to teach the importance of climate change. The website for his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" includes a <a href="http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/">calculator</a> to help you determine your personal impact on the environment. Silicon Valley venture capitalists <a href="http://www.siliconbeat.com/entries/2006/05/18/john_doerr_has_gone_halfgreen_gets_word_to_president.html">John Doerr</a> and <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2006/10/15/vinod-khosla-on-science-and-climate-meltdown/">Vinod Khosla</a> are investing in green technology and evangelizing the cause. The pair recently teamed up to fund the Clean Alternative Energy Act initiative in California. And high-profile investors are not the only ones taking up the green banner. Governor Schwarzenegger even converted his Hummers to run on alternative fuels and signed state legislation to reduce greenhouse gases. <img alt="Jennifer Lopez Carbon Neutral" src="http://realestate.halogenguides.com/ul/images/v1/jlo-car200px.jpg" width="143" class="floatright"/>Celebrities, too, are doing their part. Leonado diCaprio, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and J. Lo all drive a Toyota Prius. But George Clooney went so far as to produce "<a href="http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,1150507,00.html">Syriana</a>" as a carbon neutral movie. Dave Matthews Band, the Dixie Chicks, and Pearl Jam all offset the travel on their tours. Although Helium Report analysts are experts in <a href="http://realestate.halogenguides.com/private-jets/">private jets</a>, our small team walks, takes the ferry, rides the train, and drives a hybrid car to our shared office space in San Francisco. We partnered with TerraPass to make Helium Report a carbon neutral business. We invite our readers to consider doing the same. Post a comment below or send us an email at <a href="mailto:tips@heliumreport.com">tips@heliumreport.com</a> and let us know how <em>you</em> live a luxury lifestyle with the least environmental impact. <strong>Resources</strong> <div class="callout">You can fly carbon neutral in a private jet for less than 1% of the hourly cost of flying.</div>Carbon offset providers and notable customers: <ul><li><a href="http://www.terrapass.com">TerraPass</a> - Expedia.com</li> <li><a href="http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org/">Sustainable Travel International</a> - 2006 World Cup, Ben & Jerry's</li> <li><a href="http://www.nativeenergy.com/">Native Energy</a> - Dave Matthews Band, "Syriana" film</li> <li><a href="http://www.conservation.org/">Conservation International</a> - Dixie Chicks and Pearl Jam</li> <li><a href="http://www.conservationfund.org/">The Conservation Fund</a> - Travelocity</li></ul> Articles: <ul><li><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116606431481949816-search.html?KEYWORDS=kleiner&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month">Kleiner's Green Investment Machine</a> - The Wall Street Journal</li><li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/06/us/06arnold.html?ref=us">Schwarzenegger Opens in a Sequel</a> - NY Times</li><li><a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/01/syriana_goes_cl.php">Syriana Goes Climate Neutral</a> - Treehugger</li></ul> <a href="http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=al_gore"><img alt="TEDTalks Logo" src="http://realestate.halogenguides.com/ul/images/v1/tedtalks.gif" width="144" height="24" class="floatright" /></a>Worth watching: Al Gore's <a href="http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=al_gore">follow-up presentation</a> on TEDTalks where he explains what you can do about the climate crisis. 2007-01-10T08:27:19Z 18 true 532 true false 672 2007-01-10T08:27:00Z true false when-flying-in-a-private-jet-fly-carbon-neutral false 0

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