Offsetting arrangements
It is estimated that the average cost of planting a suitable tree locally, under the Trees for Loughborough scheme will be between £10 and £30 for each tree.
A medium-sized deciduous tree will sequester approximately 1.5 tonnes (1500kg) of CO2 over its lifetime. For the purposes of this initiative, an assumption that 70% of trees planted under this initiative will survive and that each surviving tree will sequester 1.5 tonnes of CO2.
Each mile or km travelled by one passenger will produce a certain amount of CO2, depending on the mode of travel as indicated in the Trees for Loughborough calculation chart » .
This amount has also been approximated to the equivalent number of trees that would require planting to sequester that amount, then multiplied by the assumed cost of planting the tree at Loughborough University. The amount so derived would be the equivalent offset cost of travel under the Trees for Loughborough initiative.
Several distance calculators are available for estimating flight distances e.g. etn.nl's flying distances between 325 major airports in the world.
Examples
Car journey (London return) - 240 miles total
- Small petrol car: 62.4kg CO2 - Offset cost £1.19
- Large petrol car: 72.0kg CO2 - Offset cost £1.37
- Large diesel car: 74.4kg CO2 - Offset cost £1.42
- Train or bus: 16.8kg CO2 - Offset cost £0.32
As a comparison, a short haul flight of 240 miles would impart a total of 60kg CO2 and incur an offset cost of £1.14.
Flights
- Return from London Heathrow to New York (long haul, 11,120km): 1223kg CO2 - Offset cost £23.30
- Return from London Heathrow to Paris (short haul, 646 miles): 161.5 CO2 - Offset cost £3.08
