Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

AMERICAN-STATESMAN file photo/Jay Janner

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has joined a program that allows air travelers to buy carbon credits as a way to reduce their emissions footprint.

Through the Good Traveler Program, a passenger can pay $2 for 1,000 miles of flying and send that money to a sustainable project, from forestry to wind farms.

According to a statement from the airport, "for $2, a certified carbon offset can be purchased that funds a wind farm and forestry project offsetting 344 lbs. of CO2e, plus a Colorado Delta Restoration project that restores 100 gallons of water, or choose offsets that reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation in the Congo & Zambia."

The Good Traveler Program began a year ago at the San Diego International Airport and has offset about 9.8 million air miles or 1,770 metric tons of carbon dioxide, the airport said. The program has also helped put 877,894 gallons of water back into the Colorado River Delta, where it empties into the Gulf of California.

Fliers can participate in the Good Traveler Program by visiting the Austin airport’s website at www.abia.org, and selecting The Good Traveler icon, or go to www.thegoodtraveler.org.