WHAT IF YOUR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY COULD TURN STUDY ABROAD'S HEAVY CARBON FOOTPRINT INTO A FORCE FOR GOOD?
Our Carbon Onsetting program provides an innovative way for higher education institutions to diversify their carbon neutrality strategies. It fosters collaboration between colleges and universities and frontline communities in Ecuador, who are leading efforts in ecosystem restoration and sustainability education.
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How it works: Institutions invest in our carbon onset plans based on the number of students, faculty, and staff traveling or studying abroad. We offer a range of plans and provide options to co-design a plan that fits institutional goals and budgets. Larger investments qualify for exclusive agreements with local communities.
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Becoming Co-Restorers: By joining the program, students and institutions become co-restorers, actively supporting the restoration of critical ecosystems like the Amazon Rainforest. Through direct collaboration with local restorers, participants engage in real climate action while advancing their institution’s progress toward carbon neutrality. ​
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Building Lasting Impact: This approach fosters deep, long-term relationships between students and frontline communities, inspiring lifelong commitments to climate justice. With each investment, institutions empower students to become sustainability ambassadors, expanding their impact far beyond their study abroad experience.
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Together, we are co-creating a global movement—one that restores ecosystems, strengthens communities, and redefines sustainability in higher education.
Our onsetting program complements existing offsetting initiatives or can stand alone.
For those already engaged in offsetting, adding our program encourages your students and institution to be part of the human stories hidden behind the offsets.
OFFSETTING
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Offsetting typically focuses on projects that only measure carbon mitigation and do not offer long-term solutions for locals. They tend to lack metrics on social impact or community engagement.
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Offsetting is a tool to maintain our way of life. Sustainability means compensating for our lifestyle without changing our mindsets.
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Offsetting focuses on balancing numbers through trades and transactions. The transactions overshadow the real-life connections with the ecosystems we protect.
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Offsetting can lack transparency and there are concerns about their effectiveness. Transactions occur in a market and significant costs are invested into third-party verification.
ONSETTING
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Onsetting supports local projects that measure social, economic, and environmental impact. They are mission & values driven and include metrics in income generation, education & mindsets.
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Onsetting encourages us to make life changes. Sustainability means forming meaningful relationships and changing our mindsets.
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Onsetting focuses on creating a new system that makes numerical balancing irrelevant. The real-life connections are converted into grassroots projects that we do together.
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Onsetting promotes trust and transparency based on bilateral relationships. Institutional partners can visit the local projects they support and see how funds are turned into effectiveness.
To most easily navigate the Carbon Onsetting initiative, explore investment options, and understand the impact of your participation, use the menu below to find the information most relevant to you.​
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Schedule a consultation with us to create your tailored Carbon Onsetting plan. We're here to ensure a smooth and collaborative experience.
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CONTACT:
Chochi Iturralde
Humans for Abundance Program Head
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Daniel Bryan
Director of Education & Outreach
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- Ideas to help you prepare for your consulation
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Key questions to reflect on to make the most of our consultation:​
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What is your current footprint? Consider the number of students you send abroad, where they travel, and their in-country impact. Think of others who travel—for example, faculty and staff for research or conferences.
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What is a fair financial investment? Consider the level of funding you believe appropriately balances the environmental burden your institution creates.
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What are your specific goals? Identify objectives or desired impacts that align with your sustainability goals.
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What is your institution’s sustainability story? Envision a narrative that goes beyond carbon neutrality—one that includes building meaningful partnerships with communities and engaging students, faculty, administrators, and others related to your institution.
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Review our community partners and restoration plans to identify the people and projects you’d like to support.
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Consider whether an exclusivity agreement with one of our partner communities aligns with your vision and budget.
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Need Help Bringing Others On Board? We offer free educational webinars to help you introduce the Carbon Onsetting program to your campus community. These sessions provide insights into the program and practical tools for advancing sustainability education.
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Let’s work together to create a program that not only offsets your carbon footprint but also onsets lasting connections and meaningful change.