Through a new partnership with the Yampa Valley Regional Airport (YVRA) and The Good Traveler program, residents and visitors can now offset their travel through the Routt County Climate Action Plan Fund held at the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. This partnership allows individuals and businesses the option and opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of their air travel to and from YVRA through mileage-based charitable donations to hyper-local projects working to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Your support of the Routt County Climate Action Plan Fund will enable and empower local climate action projects including habitat restoration (wetlands, post-fire regeneration, and reforestation of riparian corridors), waste diversion, commercial and residential fuel-switching, energy assessments, deployment of renewable energy, and implementation of climate-friendly transportation solutions.
Read Routt County’s press release below:
Steamboat Springs, CO, August 21, 2023 –Yampa Valley Regional Airport (YVRA) and The Routt County Climate Action Plan Fund at the Yampa Valley Community Foundation are proud to announce a partnership with The Good Traveler program. This partnership allows individuals and businesses the option and opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of their air travel to and from YVRA through mileage-based charitable donations to hyper-local projects working to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The Good Traveler was founded in 2015 by San Diego International Airport (SAN) to help both airports and travelers reduce their carbon footprint. Today, the program has grown to include more than 20 airports, airlines, and fixed-base operators (FBOs) that operate at airports. The program works with these aviation partners to give travelers the ability to purchase certified carbon offsets. All offset funds support emissions-reducing projects in North America that are third-party verified to be of the highest quality.
“The Good Traveler is a consortium of climate-conscious Aviation Partners dedicated to offering passengers simple and innovative solutions to make their air travel more sustainable. The Yampa Valley Regional Airport proudly joined The Good Traveler as an Aviation Partner in May 2023. We look forward to facilitating support for the Routt County Climate Action Plan via partnership with the Yampa Valley Community Foundation and other local non-profits. The Airport has completed many climate action initiatives in recent years and we’re excited to see the positive local results expected from The Good Traveler membership,” said Kevin Booth, YVRA Director.
Public consciousness of the environmental impact of flying grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now that travel has resumed and is nearing pre-pandemic levels, The Good Traveler wants to give travelers climate positive offset options through the purchase of certified carbon offsets or by donating locally to impact home or destination communities. It only takes about one minute to sign up online at The Good Traveler. The website features the option to create a profile and save traveler offsetting preference – certified carbon offsets as the site has always offered, or a tax-deductible donation to The Climate Action Plan Fund at the Yampa Valley Community Foundation or other non-profit partners.
Sonja Macys, Routt County Commissioner says, “We are proud to partner with The Good Traveler to provide this opportunity for Yampa Valley residents and visitors to offset emissions associated with travel through this voluntary program. And we are grateful to the Yampa Valley Community Foundation for helping us establish a non-profit fund [The Routt County Climate Action Plan Fund] that will support local climate action, initiated with revenues from The Good Traveler. The Yampa Valley Regional Airport is thriving under the leadership of Kevin Booth and we appreciate that. The airport’s success can play an important role in supporting the Routt County Climate Action Plan.”
More information about each local Nonprofit and Aviation Partner can be found at thegoodtraveler.org/projects. The Good Traveler is currently managed by Jet-Set Offset, a sustainable aviation company that provides the program with transparent, research-based carbon calculations.
“We are excited for this new initiative, because we believe in the power of choice and the ability for travelers to make a difference in the industry,” said Anna Ford, Jet-Set Offset Co-Founder and CEO.
Contact: info@co.routt.co.us
