Worried about your carbon footprint?

Volunteering overseas is a life changing way to help others and learn about the world but, due to the location of the countries we work with, flying is usually unavoidable.

We are doing everything we can at Pod Volunteer to reduce our carbon footprint, including making a donation for every volunteer into our Pod Environmental Fund and offsetting our staff flights and UK office through projects such as Wind Power in India. Read more about the steps we are taking in our carbon reduction policy.

We also believe that we can make a real difference through our individual choices. Here is our advice and tips for volunteers to help reduce carbon before, during and after trips:

CHOOSING A VOLUNTEERING PROJECT

• Fly less often (and go for longer!) whenever possible
• Combine volunteering and holiday, reducing the number of trips you do – our projects are all in amazing locations with incredible places to explore before or after your placement
• Think about how far you fly – we offer projects around the world so you can choose one in a part of the world that is nearer to you

FLIGHTS

• International - fly direct if possible as indirect flights use more fuel
• Domestic travel – if travelling within a country, consider overland travel such as trains or buses (where safe and feasible) - we provide details on these routes in our guides
• Offset what you can’t avoid - we recommend Gold Standard

BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

• Pack light – the lighter you travel the less fuel is needed to get your bag to your destination!
• Don’t take plastic with you (e.g. take shampoo, conditioner and deodorant bars) – or if you do, bring it home with you to recycle
• Pack reusable: cutlery, ‘tupperware’ container, shopping bag, straw, coffee cup, water bottle
• Switch off appliances at home before you go

ON THE JOURNEY

• Carry a water bottle in your hand luggage as many airports now have water dispensers
• Use public transport to get to your home airport
• Use shared transfers on arrival to get to the project – we arrange these wherever possible

WHILE AWAY

Accommodation

• Choose local accommodation
• Choose fan rather than air conditioning
• Switch off fans, lights and appliances and unplug devices when not in your room
• Use water carefully – take short showers

Food and drink

• Eat local foods
• Eat less meat
• Avoid food waste where possible
• Use your reusable cutlery, container, shopping bag, straw, coffee cup, water bottle!

Shopping and activities

• Buy sustainably produced goods
• Use local tour companies and do low carbon activities e.g. kayaking

Travel

• Explore on foot or on bicycle
• Use public transport

BACK HOME

• Share holiday clothes, bags, equipment and books with others
• Bring batteries home to be recycled
• Make a note of anything you haven’t used to avoid buying / taking too much on your next trip
• Spread the word - tell everyone how they can have a positive impact on their travels!  

If you have any other tips and suggestions we'd love to hear from you!