Costa Rica Travel Mart will compensate the carbon emissions and will promote the balance between productive activities and the environment.
Expotur 2009
EXPOTUR the most important tourist commercialization mart of Central America and one of best in Latin America, will compensate to the atmosphere by the CO2 emissions that are freed as part of the event´s own activities: cost of electrical energy, fuel use for the transportation of the participants, use of materials like paper and the one that pertains specifically to the human beings.
ACOPROT in alliance with the National Fund of Forest Financing (Fonafifo), will measure the emissions that are generated during EXPOTUR (it will be held between the 13 and the 15 of May of 2009) to compensate them with trees planting and with economic contributions that will grant organizations which develop programss that benefit the environment.
The initiative to mitigate the carbon emissions adheres to the strategy of the Government of the Republic to get to be a country carbon neutral in 2021, explained Tania D `Ambrosio, Director of Events of the Costa Rican Association of Professionals in Tourism (ACOPROT),.
The Government of Costa Rica has committed, since February 2007, to being the first nation carbon neutral, for which a series of decrees, laws have been issued implementing incentives that will allow the country to compensate the amount of polluting gases that it generates.
In that sense, the Government has impelled the hybrid use of bio fuel, electric vehicles and clean energies as well as the use of less polluting technologies in the industry. CO2 Neutral has been defined as the individual, organization or country that assumes its responsibility with the emissions that release carbon to the atmosphere. This does not mean that they are can not do daily activities, but reward nature for the damage that these cause; encouraging behaviour change to avoid the emissions, while preventing the waste of resources.
Examples for reduction of CO2 emissions are: to diminish the waste in productive activities, to use less raw materials in the manufacture of consumption articles; to optimize the transportation of people and merchandises that use fossil fuels as petroleum, gas and coal.
Alberto González, of FONAFIFO, indicated that have EXPOTUR 2009 as a carbon neutral event, the factor to be taken into account are among others, the bill of the electrical consumption that occurs during the five days of the event; also, the land transport of the international visitors, which includes transfers between airport and hotels as well as the miles covered during the pre and post circuits included in the program.
With these variables plus the type of fuel that is used and the amount of necessary buses for the transfers, we will calculate the carbon footprint of EXPOTUR 2009
explained González, adding that, concerning air transportation, FONAFIFO will provide an Internet access, so that participants may learn how to mitigate their aerial trip and be united to the concept of a “Clean Trip”.
Additionally, ACOPROT, during EXPOTUR, will have educational seminars to create awareness of the need to maintain a balance between the productive activity and the environment. Also, as part of his objective to mitigate the CO2 emissions that it generates, it will assign an area near the site Hotel to do the tree planting.
We are going to actively involve all participants in this initiative; for this, we will persuade international participants to be sponsor of a tree and will encourage all sellers to use environmental friendly promotional materials, added D `Ambrosio.
This initiative is one of the most important changes that will be implemented during EXPOTUR 25 anniversary.
Courtesy of Centralamericagrapevine.com **
