Road Scholar’s Commitment to a More Sustainable Planet
At Road Scholar, we understand the importance of preserving our global campus and lessening the impact of our learning adventures on the environment. We do so in a number of ways — keep reading to learn more about our sustainability efforts.
Caring for Our Global Classroom
Road Scholar is committed to protecting the environment, respecting and preserving the diversity of human cultures and creating a more sustainable future for generations of lifelong learners to come.
A Member of Sustainable Travel International
Road Scholar is a proud member of Sustainable Travel International. This Public Benefits Company works to create a more sustainable future, one with clean beaches, protected parks, economic justice, cultural preservation and the engagement of millions of travelers who want to make the world a better place through their choices of where and how they travel.
Offsetting Some of the Plastic Used on Road Scholar Programs
We do our best to limit the amount of plastic used on our programs. We have partnered with TONTOTON and funded the reclamation of 10 metric tons of plastic waste in Vietnam. Through TONTOTON’s projects, post-consumer, non-recyclable, ocean-bound plastic waste is recovered and processed into fuels and raw materials that replace coal at a local manufacturing plant. You can help reduce the plastic used on Road Scholar programs by bringing a refillable water bottle with you on your next adventure.
Offsetting Some of the Carbon Emissions Created Through Travel
To counter the impact of travel to Road Scholar programs, we invest in projects that reduce the amount of carbon emissions in the atmosphere. Road Scholar has funded projects that offset the amount of CO2 created by flying almost 67 million miles in economy class, which is the equivalent of planting over 220,000 seedlings and allowing those trees to grow for 10 years!
The Projects We Invested in This Year:
• Nitrous Oxide Abatement in Florida
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 265 times that of carbon dioxide. This abatement facility in Florida is the largest in North America and keeps N2O from entering the atmosphere.
• Forest Preservation in Afognak Island, Alaska
The Afognak Forest Carbon Project in Coastal Alaska is the first of its kind in Alaska and protects 200 year-old forests, river otters, beavers, martens and ermines. This pristine environment has an increasingly important environmental value, because its old-growth trees sequester millions of tons of carbon dioxide.
• Clean Cookstoves in India
In India, these advanced technology cookstoves burn wood more efficiently, improve thermal transfer to pots and save fuel. Not only do these stoves halt the rapidly progressing deforestation in India, but they also reduce health hazards from indoor smoke pollution for the families who use them.
• Methane Gas-to-Electricity at a New Bedford, Mass. Landfill
Landfill gas, which includes methane and carbon dioxide, is collected from the landfill to fuel four internal combustion engine-generators. The project not only produces power for the regional electricity grid, but also reduces the amount of methane released into the atmosphere.
Want to stay up to date on sustainability efforts at Road Scholar? Visit our website to learn how Road Scholar continues to care for the environment.