Our increasingly globalized society thrives on mobility–both in professional and private life. At vhf, they depend on air travel for important business trips and for time-sensitive international transports. All the advantages of air travel and transportation do, however, have their downside: Air traffic is responsible for up to 10% of human-induced warming.

This is where atmosfair comes into play. atmosfair is an independent, non-profit climate protection organization based in Berlin that is financed by private donations. The organization emerged from a research project of the German Ministry of the Environment in 2004. It actively protects the climate through renewable energy projects that compensate for greenhouse gases emitted by air travel. For example, an emissions calculator on atmosfair.de/en/ allows users to calculate the CO₂emissions produced by a flight and compensate for these directly on the site either fully or in part. The contributions support projects in developing countries that seek to save the corresponding amount of CO₂.

The current climate protection campaign, “New Energy for Nepal,” for instance, is supporting the ongoing reconstruction of the Himalayan country following the devastating earthquakes in April and May 2015 by supplying schools, medical wards, tourist infrastructures, and private households with renewable energy. It provides solar panels for electricity, constructs biogas plants, or installs efficient ovens and solar hot water systems, depending on the local requirements. The aim is to support the reconstruction of Nepal’s energy infrastructure with resource-efficient technologies that emit very little CO₂.

The board and employees of vhf are happy to make a meaningful contribution with their donation and are confident that their business partners are also more than happy to support this good cause.