At Michigan Ice Fest we know that the climate and landscape we play in is the major factor in what makes ice climbing so amazing.  We also know that we, as individuals and as an event, are having an impact on one of the things we cherish most.  We are striving to lessen and mitigate that impact through several environmental initiatives  including waste reduction, recycling programs, and a move toward carbon neutrality.

As part of our effort to be a be a carbon neutral event, we are purchasing carbon offsets to help cover the what is produced by the hosting nearly 1,500 people in Munising, as well as their travel to and from the event.

It’s estimated that each person coming to the event is responsible for the addition of about 500lbs of CO2 to our atmosphere.  Coupled with the CO2 produced by hosting the event, it all adds up to a lot of carbon, and we’d like to lesson that impact as much as we can.

And we’re not the only ones.  During registration, our participants were given to option to donate to help offset the carbon they produced attending the event and you came through.  With your support, we were able offset over 110 tons of CO2 related to the Michigan Ice Fest.

We purchased carbon offsets through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, which supports verified carbon offset solutions that thoughtfully balance project types, impact, location, and cost.  This non-profit supports carbon offset projects focusing on forest conservation and restoration, regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, and waste reduction.  They have projects ranging from Minnesota to Chile.

We are incredibly excited for our move toward being a carbon neutral event, and the amazing support we’ve gotten from our Ice Fest family.  Thank you all so much.  We plan on continuing this initiative into the future do our part to make the world a little better every year.