Tourism brings more than a million people to Southeast Alaska every year. And though that generates a lot of revenue for the community, it also brings a cost in the form of greenhouse gas emissions.
To address that, one of the region’s largest tour companies has launched a unique – and local – carbon offset program.
KTOO’s Anna Canny has the story.
Tourism in Southeast Alaska largely runs on fossil fuels. On a busy afternoon in downtown Juneau, a crowd of tourists pour off a cruise ship. Tour guides in brightly colored jackets control the chaos, directing visitors to their whale watches or glacier tours.
They’re shuttled off by the hundreds of diesel-powered buses.
Then they’ll board diesel-powered helicopters, float planes or boats.
Each tour releases greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
To make up for that, Sitka-based Allen Marine Tours is collecting donations from tourists. The money goes toward installing heat pumps across Southeast Alaska.
Electric heat pumps in the region run on hydropower and they’re a popular alternative to heating oil. That means they have a huge potential to cut local greenhouse gas emissions. But they’re expensive.
Allen Marine’s Caitlyn Ellis says they hope the program will eventually generate thousands of dollars in donations..
Caitlyn Ellis: That’s a lot of heat pumps. That is a big chunk of our community that could reassess how our buildings are heated in a sustainable and renewable way.
The program will be facilitated through a partnership with the local non-profit Juneau Carbon Offset. They finance heat pumps for lower income families in the region.
The bulk of Allen Marine’s passengers come from cruise ships. They have the option to donate $2 at the gift shop on board.
Caitlyn Ellis: It’s kind of similar to a grocery store round up.
Some of their passengers are independent travelers who book online and those people are automatically charged the $2 fee unless they opt out. But the majority of tourists book through cruise lines instead. That means much of the program’s success will rely on their on board advertising. Which is tricky for Allen Marine tour guides.
Caitlyn Ellis: We don’t want to overwhelm them with information while they’re having a great time.
Ellis said the way they advertise the program will be refined in future years. Training and recruitment efforts that will help their tour guides find ways to start discussions of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.
For now, the money is trickling in.
Caitlyn Ellis: At the end of the season, we’ll have a very clear picture. But we do have money coming. We’re very hopeful that at least one heat pump is going to be purchased this year.
But its success could give insight into how tourists can further climate action in the Southeast communities they visit.
In Juneau, I’m Anna Canny.
