New tool helps Oregon Coast visitors calculate and mitigate their carbon impact
The Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA) has launched a new Travel Impact Calculator to help visitors to the Oregon Coast determine and mitigate the carbon impact of their travel through a donation to a coastal stewardship nonprofit. This calculator can be found on OCVA’s website, thepeoplescoast.com, under “Be Kind to the Coast.”
“Travelers choose to visit the Oregon Coast for its scenic beauty and environmental quality,” says Arica Sears, OCVA deputy director. “After visitors fall in love with the Coast, they want to help care for the Coast. Our travel impact calculator helps them give back by contributing to a coastal stewardship nonprofit.”
Carbon dioxide emissions are linked to changing climate, a key concern for Oregon Coast communities. OCVA’s calculator and voluntary donation system are part of its Mitigation, Adaptation and Resiliency Plan, adopted in 2022.
OCVA’s travel impact calculator estimates carbon emissions resulting from visitor transportation, including air travel, vehicle travel, and public transit. Visitors who use the calculator input their travel distance and miles per gallon or vehicle type to calculate their approximate emissions.
The tool then offers visitors the opportunity to mitigate their calculated impact by making a donation to the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP), an environmental nonprofit doing work to capture carbon and care for the environment.
“We are pleased to partner with OCVA on this initiative,” says Claudine Rehn, TEP deputy director. “Enabling visitors to support coastal conservation and restoration fits well with our commitment to community engagement and education.”
Coastal estuaries mitigate carbon emissions by sequestering carbon, or pulling it out of the atmosphere. Voluntary visitor donations will help support TEP’s native plant nursery, which provides coastally-adapted stock for environmental restoration projects along the entire Oregon Coast.