In the course of our everyday lives, we engage in activities that leave a residual trail of carbon emissions. Transportation, for example, ranks as one of the highest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. At r+, our growing awareness of such facts means a better understanding of how our lifestyle habits have resulted in the climate crisis. Even something as simple as preferring meat over vegetables accumulates into a significant annual carbon footprint.
Still, it is not too late for affirmative action. At r+, we aim to pilot a carbon credit scheme as part of our net-zero initiative. Carbon credits are a form of virtual currency that companies and individuals alike can purchase to offset their carbon emissions. Through the auspices of a third-party organisation such as Gold Standard, r+ plans to bulk purchase carbon credits and sell these to our members at a tentative rate of USD12 per kilogram of carbon emission. Similarly, Melia Hotels International’s loyalty program allows members to exchange points for internationally certified carbon credits.
Another source of these credits is through r+ being involved in local carbon projects. With Cambodia’s CO2 emissions per capita recorded at 0.41, much lower than the global average of 4, it is no surprise that carbon projects there are adopted in abundance. With the launching of r+ koh rong in Cambodia, we seek to uplift the local community by kickstarting our own carbon projects for the future. Funds gathered from r+ members’ carbon credit purchases will be invested in afforestation and blue carbon projects, for instance, having mangroves planted along the coastal ecosystems of Cambodia to sequester carbon emissions within the vicinity.
r+ believes that our members will benefit from the utilisation of carbon credits to mitigate carbon emissions. This is a milestone in our quest for net-zero living: it is a form of responsible luxury that paves the way for enriching and sustainable hospitality experiences for now and into the future.
