A Greener Event
Offsetting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Related to Seafood Summit 2009 Travel and Participation
 Seafood Choices Alliance recognizes that in working for sustainable seafood our activities, including the Seafood Summit, impact upon our wider environment and its natural resources. We endeavor to reduce our environmental impact wherever possible but readily acknowledge that we cannot eliminate it altogether while undertaking our necessary organizational activities. For this reason the Seafood Choices Alliance is offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from 2009 Seafood Summit activities through PURE - The Clean Planet Trust, to mitigate the climate change impact the Seafood Summit will create.
Seafood Choices Alliance will offset greenhouse gas emissions from the core activities of the Seafood Summit and its’ attendees at the Hilton San Diego Resort. Delegates can be reassured by the fact that their core Summit activities are not adversely impacting our climate as Seafood Choices Alliance has integrated the offsetting of greenhouse gases into the organization of the Seafood Summit.
In addition to core Seafood Summit activities, delegate travel to and from the Summit constitutes a notable contributor to climate change. Seafood Choices Alliance has embedded the ability to offset carbon emissions from delegate air travel into the Summit registration process. Seafood Choices Alliance appreciates that, through their own offset schemes, some individuals, companies and organizations are already taking active steps to compensate for the environmental impact of their travel, hence offsetting travel for the Summit is optional.
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PURE – The Clean Planet Trust
Through PURE – The Clean Planet Trust, Seafood Choices Alliance is offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from the core activities of the 2009 Seafood Summit. Seafood Choices Alliance has chosen PURE as our offset partner due to the credibility and effectiveness of both PURE as an organization and its offset projects – we believe they offer real and permanent emissions reductions.
Here are a few of PURE’s credentials that have been influential in our choosing to offset with them:
- Emission reductions are audited and verified by the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism and/or European Union Emissions Trading scheme.
- Emissions reduction projects meet the high quality international standards of the Kyoto Protocol, hence supports the global Kyoto process.
- PURE offsetting meets the proposed UK Government Code of Best Practice for carbon offsetting.
- PURE reduces carbon - plus smog and acid rain by offsetting carbon through renewable energy projects, which also reduces other pollution that would be created in conventional power generation.
- PURE is fully transparent in terms of process and pricing; purchase of investment grade carbon credits assures quality and there is a clear audit trail.
- PURE buys carbon credits and then cancels them from the international register –removing industrial "licenses to pollute". All carbon credits are bought from renewable energy and efficiency projects - projects that also support sustainable development in the countries in which they are located.
- PURE’s projects (currently located in Brazil, China and India) ensure rapid offsetting – effective within 12 months.
- PURE is a registered UK charity.
PURE’s projects:
PURE's primary focus is upon Certified Emissions Reduction (CER) credits from the UN Clean Development Mechanism. These are approved by the UN and also help developing countries 'leapfrog' to the cleanest technologies available.
Other offset schemes do not offer this same robust approach:
- Verified Emission Reduction Credits (VERs) that invest in small-scale (often domestic) projects in developing countries do not remove industrial "licenses to pollute" and are verified by third party organizations rather than through the UNFCCC.
- Tree planting offset schemes lack accuracy and permanence; avoided emissions are preferable to carbon sequestration.
Summary of PURE project characteristics compared to those of other carbon offset schemes.
Effective within 12 months |
Effective within 1-10 years |
Effective within 40-100 years |
- The PURE credits that you buy will reduce emissions within one year of issuance.
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- The small projects that are typical for VERs (example: supply energy efficient light bulbs and stoves) might be implemented within a year, but they will then take many more years to physically offset your carbon.
- VER credits are not investment grade.
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- If a new tree is planted, it might take 60 to 100 years to remove your carbon.
- If you have ‘adopted’ an existing tree, there is no additional benefit. You have simply paid for something that has already been planted.
- Doubts about permanence – as trees eventually release carbon back into the atmosphere.
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Please visit www.puretrust.org.uk if you would like to find out more about PURE and their projects.
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Hilton San Diego Resort Environmental Policy
Hilton San Diego Resort is taking action to help the environment through a variety of initiatives. To view the full environmental policy, please click here to download the policy in .pdf format.
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