To Atone for its Extensive Air Travel, Cal Poly Humboldt’s Administration Will Buy ‘Carbon Offsets’ From the City of Arcata’s Community Forest

Press release from Cal Poly Humboldt:

In
line with Cal Poly Humboldt’s Climate Action Plan 2.0’s goal of
carbon neutrality by 2045, the University will purchase carbon
offsets at the Arcata Community Forest. The purchase will help
compensate for the carbon emissions generated by University-financed
air travel.

“We
don’t want to restrict air travel; we value the collaboration,
communications, experiences, and relationship building that air
travel affords to our campus community. But we also need to lower our
emissions, so purchasing carbon offsets is a great way to neutralize
the University’s air travel emissions,” says Morgan King, Cal
Poly Humboldt’s climate action analyst.

Carbon
offsets are certificates representing the removal of one metric ton
of carbon dioxide emission (CO2e). Carbon offsets on the voluntary
market are available for purchase by individuals, institutions, and
businesses to offset carbon emissions from travel and daily
activities. Essentially, carbon offsets fund projects that reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, like forest conservation projects or
improved forest management.

The
University will partner with the city of Arcata to purchase verified
carbon offsets from the Arcata Community Forest using rebate
funding.

“The
city of Arcata is pleased to continue our partnership with Cal Poly
Humboldt on local sustainability programs. The purchase of carbon
offset credits through the City’s verified forest carbon program
will help compensate for greenhouse gas emissions resulting from
travel for university business. The purchase of carbon offsets
supports the Arcata Community Forest to continue growing large, old
trees and sequestering carbon for the next 100 years,” says
Arcata’s Environmental Services Director Emily Sinkhorn.

The
city of Arcata oversees multiple programs and projects that actively
sequester carbon including:

• The
  Arcata Community Forest emphasizes carbon sequestration by growing
  trees on extended rotations, designating reserves, and adding forest
  acres that could otherwise be developed
• The
  Riparian Forest Establishment, which established more than 100 acres
  of new riparian forest along creeks and bottomlands
• The
  Salt Marsh Project at McDaniel Slough Marsh Restoration Project,
  which sequesters additional carbon on its 240-acre site, creating a
  case study that will be used to help develop sequestration protocols
  for salt marsh restoration activities
• The
  Urban Forestry Project is an active program to expand the planting
  of trees in the urban landscape including parks, roadside greenways,
  and the downtown area.

As
an example, in 2023-24, the University’s air travel contributed to
about 2.5% of the campus’s carbon footprint or 316.45 metric tons of
carbon dioxide equivalent. To help offset this impact, the University
could have purchased carbon offsets from the city of Arcata. Each
carbon offset from the Arcata Community Forest represents removing
one metric ton of CO2e and may cost $30, although the cost may
fluctuate depending on the market and other factors, so it would have
cost the University, $9,494 to neutralize last year’s air travel.
This offset equaled 316.45 metric tons of CO2e, the equivalent of
809,342 miles driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger car.

The
University will make its first purchase of carbon offsets from the
city of Arcata next July, neutralizing its air-travel carbon
footprint for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

In
2023, Cal Poly Humboldt introduced its Climate Action Plan 2.0, a
roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, featuring 35 strategies
to reduce fossil fuel consumption and enhance climate resilience,
including the purchase of offsets. The carbon offset not only aids in
reducing the University’s carbon footprint but also brings benefits
to a local partner and the campus community. The Arcata Community
Forest, which spans 2,350 acres and borders the Cal Poly Humboldt
campus, plays a vital role in providing education, research, and
recreational opportunities to the campus community.

This
sustainably managed redwood forest sequesters carbon, provides
various ecosystem services that enhance the climate resilience of the
campus and community and has undergone third-party verification to be
included in the Climate Action Reserve carbon credit registry.

“Buying
carbon offsets from the city of Arcata presents an incredible
opportunity for the University to slash carbon emissions while also
backing a valuable local resource,” King says.