Sliced: Offsetting My 2025 Carbon Footprint

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Another year is upon us – and for that, I’m deeply grateful. At the same time, I look around and realize just how much has changed since this time last year. Wars continue to rage, humanitarian crises deepen, and ecological systems are under increasing strain. At times, it all feels overwhelming, especially knowing how much of it lies far beyond my control.

That said, I can control my own actions and contributions. Just as I’ve done in past years, I’m once again taking responsibility for my personal carbon footprint. It may be a small act in the grand scheme of things, but it’s one that feels necessary.

This year, however, comes with a difficult admission: my 2025 carbon footprint totaled 16.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide – 9 metric tons more than last year. I’m embarrassed by that number. The reality is that not much has changed in my day-to-day lifestyle, except for one major factor: travel. Both professionally and personally, my travel increased significantly.

In 2024, I took 15 one-way flights. In 2025, that number jumped to 27 one-way flights.

Here’s how the year breaks down:

Total one-way flights: 27
Total distance traveled: 74,600 km
Total CO2 emissions from flights: 9.9 metric tons
Total time spent in the air: 121 hours

Of those flights, six were international long-haul journeys between Europe and the Americas, which unsurprisingly accounted for a large share of the emissions.

Once again, I used the Footprint Calculator from the Global Footprint Network to calculate my total annual emissions. This year, I also enlisted AI to help calculate detailed flight data (specifically using Perplexity to cross-check distances, durations, and emissions estimates).

With the math complete, it was time to offset.

To fully account for my 2025 emissions, I purchased 17 verified carbon credits through Cool Effect, rounding up slightly from my calculated total. This year, I was especially encouraged by the project I supported, in part because at Gordian Knot Strategies we’ve been working with several groups focused on methane capture and reduction – a climate solution with outsized impact.

The project I supported is the Ciudad Juarez Landfill Gas to Energy Project in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The project captures methane released from the Ciudad Juarez landfill and uses it to generate electricity. As many readers know, methane is a greenhouse gas with roughly 80 times the global warming potential of CO2 over a 20-year period.

Rather than allowing this gas to escape into the atmosphere, the captured methane is combusted to produce renewable electricity that is exported to Mexico’s national power grid. When electricity is not being generated, the gas is flared, converting methane into carbon dioxide and water which still produces emissions, but significantly less harmful than methane itself.

The scale of the landfill is striking. Operating since 1994, the site spans nearly 79 hectares (about 200 acres) and is projected to remain active until 2040. The energy facility on-site includes a 6.4 MW power plant, capable of generating stable, local electricity while displacing fossil fuel–based power that would otherwise be required.

As I’ve always said, buying carbon credits is not a substitute for reducing emissions and offsetting should never be an excuse to avoid hard choices or behavioral change. For me, this year’s numbers are a clear signal that something has to give. Travel may be unavoidable at times, but awareness must lead to accountability.

Now that I move into 2026, my intention is to be more deliberate about when and why I fly, and to continue looking for ways – both personally and professionally – to support solutions that reduce emissions at the source.

As we leave 2025 in the dust, I encourage others to take a moment to reflect on the past year. We may not control geopolitics or global systems, but we do control our decisions, our money, and our willingness to take responsibility. Small actions won’t solve everything but taken together, they matter.

And as always, if you’d like to talk about carbon markets, methane reduction, or practical ways to engage with climate solutions, I’m always happy to chat.

At Gordian Knot Strategies, our goal is to help mobilize $1 billion per year in climate finance. That is why we’re committed to making climate finance smarter and faster by addressing a broken impact investing screening process. That’s why we built Traro®, a predictive analytics platform designed to help investors rapidly triage opportunities with clarity, consistency, and confidence.

We hosted a live webinar focused on leveraging Traro® for more effective impact investing screening. If you weren’t able to attend, the recording link can be found here.

For those interested in further exploring these best practices, a free guide is available – Smarter Climate Investing: 7 Strategic Filters Before Your First Impact Dollar – which distills actionable lessons learned for screening climate projects using seven essential criteria.

If your organization is interested in seeing Traro® in action, we’d love to show you how it works. Email us at traro@gordianknotstrategies.com. There’s no cost to access the guide or the demo. Our goal is to equip more investors with tools that unlock real climate impact.

Seeking Impact Investment? Submit your project to Traro®

We invite project developers to submit their projects for screening on the Traro® Platform at no cost. Based on assessment outcomes, we can match you with interested impact investors (there is no fee).

You can find more information and how to create an account on Traro® here.

We’re building a global database of impact investors to help mobilize $1 billion annually in climate finance by 2030. If your organization is interested in funding climate or environmental projects, we invite you to fill out our Impact Investor Information Form. Your contact details will remain confidential, and we’ll only connect you with aligned opportunities. There is no fee to participate.

To access the form click here.

Interested in connecting with us on climate finance, impact investment, climate solutions strategy, or carbon credit development and commercialization?

Book a 30-minute conversation with Gordian Knot Strategies here to discuss how we can support your goals.

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