/ Offsetting Business Travel Emissions Through Local Restoration
June 22, 2026
Operating a successful global port means a certain level of travel is necessary for the port team to conduct business.
While flying to meetings and conferences is necessary to serve national and international customers, tenants and our community, it’s a fact: airline travel is a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
That reality is acknowledged in the port’s Climate Action plan, which also lays out solutions to help the port address the impact.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions takes many forms, from large-scale infrastructure investments to everyday operational decisions, to managing the impacts of travel.
Short-distance flights (flights under 930 miles) in particular tend to produce more emissions per passenger than ground transportation options such as passenger vehicles, buses or trains.
Port staff are encouraged to utilize lower-carbon business travel options such as carpooling, using the port’s electric or hybrid vehicles, passenger trains, or moving the business meetings online whenever practical. When air travel is necessary, carbon offsets are offering a way to mitigate the emissions impact.
In 2025, the port partnered with the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group (SPSSEG) to offset emissions associated with business-related airline travel. The port purchased 127 carbon credits through SPSSEG’s Deschutes River Floodplain Restoration Project, helping offset emissions generated by port air travel during 2024.
The restoration project enhances habitat and improves watershed health through large-scale native tree planting. Approximately 3,500 trees per acre have been planted across the project’s 15-acre footprint, supporting long-term carbon sequestration while providing ecological benefits for the region.
The effort also reflects the port’s commitment to improving how emissions are measured. In 2025, the port adopted a new data-centered tracking system within our existing expense program that provides more accurate information for air travel emissions calculations and future planning.
By combining low-carbon travel options, better emissions tracking and carbon mitigation investments, the port continues to advance the goals outlined in its Climate Action Plan and support both climate resilience and habitat restoration in the Pacific Northwest.
