Green Policy

Vision

Flight Centre, and its corporate division FCm Travel Solutions, are responsible corporate citizens and will have a no net impact on the climate from their own operations and will continue to assist its customers to minimize their carbon footprint.

Mission Statement

In an effort to maintain our reputation as an industry leader in the marketplace, the company is dedicated to demonstrating its commitment to corporate social and environmental responsibility and has implemented two major environmental programs: a comprehensive Offsetting Policy and an Office Environmental Policy. Airline travel accounts for a significant amount of all greenhouse gas emissions and we recognize that our industry must be more accountable for the CO2 or greenhouse gas emissions associated with our business activities if we are to remain an environmentally responsible corporation.

A) Offsetting Policy

Climate change is a serious problem, caused primarily by the carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas. The only long-term solution to climate change involves stabilizing global levels of greenhouse gases by making deep, absolute emission reductions in every sector of our economy. However, it will take time to build a new economy based on sustainable energy use, and one of the transition strategies is going ‘carbon neutral’: making all reductions currently possible, and then using carbon offsets to address remaining emissions. Going carbon neutral is a way to take responsibility for the greenhouse gases we create every time we drive our cars, take a plane or turn on our computers. Here’s how it works: if you add polluting emissions to the atmosphere, you can effectively subtract them by purchasing what are known as “carbon offsets”. Carbon offsets are simply credits for emission reductions achieved elsewhere by projects such as wind farms or solar installations. You can purchase some of these reductions and use them to cancel your own emissions. The result is that you have no net impact on the climate.

Although the best thing for the environment is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions instead of offsetting them, at present it is impossible to reduce emissions to zero. Purchasing offsets is a practical and inexpensive way to compensate for emissions that otherwise wouldn’t be addressed. In addition, purchasing high quality carbon offsets such as those from sustainable energy projects helps make these projects economically competitive with fossil fuels, and supports the transition to a sustainable energy economy.

Based on information from the David Suzuki Foundation website. Find more resources and other helpful information at:

www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/What_You_Can_Do/carbon_neutral.asp

Flight Centre’s Carbon Emission Offsetting Program

Flight Centre has teamed up with Cleaner Climate Ltd. (www.cleanerclimate.com), to provide us a link to a “carbon calculator”. This adds a simple procedure at the time of booking your travel arrangements that will allow you to determine the carbon emitted from your flight and voluntarily fund a renewable energy project in a developing country to offset it.

For example, should a traveller want to go ‘carbon neutral’ they can offset the carbon emissions produced by their trip through Cleaner Climate, who in turn put the money into a project that will save the same amount of carbon emissions through energy efficiency means (efficient light-bulbs) or energy renewable projects (wind turbines, land fill remediation, solar).The company’s projects are structured in accordance with guidelines set out by bodies such as the United Nations Framework Convention On Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Gold Standard and are monitored by a third party to verify that they offset the amount specified.

How much does offsetting cost?

Offsetting a short haul flight (up to five hours) costs approximately CAD$5-$7. For longer haul flights the offset cost ranges from approximately $15-$25 dollars depending on the length of your flight. For more information, please visit www.cleanerclimate.com.

The Offset Project

Cleaner Climate's carbon project portfolio complies with the rigorous requirements of the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). These projects include the generation of clean renewable energy, destruction of damaging greenhouse gases and improvements in energy efficiency.

Cleaner Climate's projects not only reduce the impact on the environment but promote sustainable development in the area in which they are implemented.

Projects developed under the CDM ensure that the emission reductions satisfy stringent criteria set up by the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Committee (UNFCCC). In addition, all projects are validated by a UNFCCC registered audit organisation to ensure that they produce verified carbon reductions.

Contributions from climate change conscious consumers assist in the development of these projects and enables the growth and promotion of clean technology.

View Cleaner Climate's project portfolio or sample project.

B) Office Environmental Policy

At Flight Centre & FCm, an internal Environmental Committee has been established as a forum for sharing and communicating company initiatives for decreasing our environmental “footprint” in the workplace. Our office policy includes:

Reducing and Offsetting Our Own Emissions

We are leading by example by offsetting all of our own business air travel. Every business flight taken by FCm and Flight Centre staff will be offset by investments in the Cleaner Climate offset project mentioned above.
In addition to business air travel, we will be investigating the possibility of offsetting other the major emission sources of our offices, such as electricity use.

Recycling & Waste Reduction

Ensuring recycling bins are available & accessible in all office areas.
Using email to communicate and send documents whenever possible.
Printing information only as really needed.
Practicing efficient copying/printing (e.g. double-sided copying)
Reducing packaging.
Sourcing and using recycled, unbleached, 100% post-consumer paper for printed materials wherever possible.
Reducing the number of duplicate subscriptions to periodicals, trade journals and magazines.
Reducing the amount of faxes being received.
Donation of old computers & cell phones to charities for re-use.
Removal of disposable cups and plastic stir sticks & the use of large recyclable milk carton instead of creamers, in all office kitchens.

Lighting

Regular light bulbs are being replaced with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) where possible.

Electronic Equipment

Computers, radios & other machines will be turned off when not in use.
Standby and energy save modes will be used when not feasible to switch off.

Heating

Heating will be switched off in summer, at weekends and on holidays.
Computers, radios & other machines will be turned off when not in use.
Standby and energy save modes will be used when not feasible to switch off.

Suppliers

All suppliers have been contacted to ensure they have similar environmental initiatives in place and that we are recycling or using energy efficient products wherever possible including lighting, carpeting, stationary & toner cartridges.
All cleaning supplies are environmentally friendly.

Environmental Supplier Award

Flight Centre wants to do business with companies who are equally environmentally conscious. The company has established an annual award to recognize the industry supplier that has made the greatest effort to minimize their environmental impact.

Internal Environmental Award

Flight Centre wants to reward our employees for being proactive in taking responsibility for our climate footprint. The company has established an annual award to recognize the person or internal business that minimizes Flight Centre or FCm’s environmental impact.

Business Partnerships

We have signed partnership agreements with chambers of commerce and/or other business associations in the cities we operate to ensure we sustain our commitment to our Green Policy (e.g. Seattle Climate Partnership).