Meeting Carbon Footprint Delta Calculator

Quantify how much carbon your team saves when pivoting from an in-person gathering to a virtual meeting. Add up flights, hotels, and call energy so you can communicate avoided emissions in sustainability reports.

Count everyone who would have travelled, including facilitators and vendors
Use total round-trip distance per attendee; consult travel itineraries or flight distance tools
Common long-haul defaults range 0.12–0.20 kg CO₂e per passenger-km depending on cabin class
Include any pre-event nights and late departures for a realistic total
Use published emission intensities from your hotel chain or national averages
Total hours of virtual conferencing that each attendee will join
Estimate based on data center energy and local electricity mix; 0.03–0.06 kg CO₂e/hour is common

Examples

  • Regional summit: 18 attendees, 3,200 km flights, 0.14 kg/km, 3 hotel nights at 28 kg, 8-hour call at 0.05 kg ⇒ 84,038.40 kg CO₂e difference
  • Leadership workshop: 6 attendees, 800 km flights, 0.12 kg/km, 1 hotel night at 28 kg, 4-hour call at 0.05 kg ⇒ 5,929.20 kg CO₂e difference

FAQ

Can the result be negative?

Yes. Small regional meetings with minimal travel can emit less than long virtual sessions, so treat negative values as a signal to double-check assumptions.

What emission factor should I use?

Check airline sustainability reports, ICAO calculators, or national databases that publish passenger-kilometer emission factors by cabin class.

Does it include meals and venue energy?

Not yet. Add venue energy, catering, and ground transportation separately if they materially change your footprint.

How do I report the savings?

Use the result as the avoided emissions figure in ESG disclosures or internal dashboards, and cite your emission factors for transparency.

Additional Information

  • Positive values represent emissions avoided by hosting virtually; negative values mean travelling would emit less in rare edge cases.
  • Layer in rail or car travel by converting their CO₂e totals into an equivalent passenger-km input if flights are not involved.
  • Pair this output with the Travel Carbon Footprint calculator to evaluate hybrid scenarios where only key members travel.
  • Use the Meeting Cost calculator to compare monetary savings alongside the carbon delta and build a comprehensive business case.

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