Don’t feel guilty about flying to Hawaii or taking the family on a road trip this summer because you can easily neutralize the negative impact of your travel on the environment. Purchasing carbon offsets is an inexpensive way for environmentally-conscious Americans to reduce the carbon footprint of their trip. But with so many companies selling offsets, how do you know which ones are legitimate and will really help the planet? Gary Gero, president of the Climate Action Reserve, a nonprofit that registers and issues carbon offsets, offers six tips for offsetting your travel so you can feel good while relaxing by the pool.

1.Trains, planes or automobiles: No matter what mode of transportation you might be heading out in, calculating your carbon footprint is the first step in managing your travel. Find an online carbon footprint calculator by a simple Google search and input your travel details to find out how much carbon your trip will emit and how many offsets you need to buy.

2. Read the fine print: Because offsets are intangible purchases, it is important that offset retailers make detailed information readily available to show that the offsets they are selling are real and aren’t being sold more than once. Each credit should have a unique serial number and information such as the date, location and source of the greenhouse gas reduction.

3. Seek a second opinion: Only buy offsets that have been reviewed by an independent party to verify they are legitimate. Verifiers physically inspect the offset project and review records, data, equipment and activities to ensure that greenhouse gas reduction claims have actually occurred and have been counted accurately. This information should be available to the public.

4. Look for a seal of approval: The carbon market has matured considerably since the days when it was dubbed The Wild West. There are now a number of organizations that give offsets the equivalent of the USDA organic seal of approval. Look for offset credits that have been issued by the Climate Action Reserve, the Gold Standard or Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS).

5. Find a project that sparks your interest: There are a wide range of activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate offsets, including planting trees, converting food waste into energy, trapping methane from farms and destroying ozone depleting substances. Many of these projects also have numerous benefits to their communities. Find a project that sparks your interest so that your offset purchase is more meaningful to you.

6. When in doubt: If you are not sure the offsets you are purchasing are top quality, you can find a list of reputable offset retailers at http://www.climateactionreserve.org/how/retailers/

“Many high quality offsets are available to travelers to make their long weekend trips and extended vacations more eco-friendly. Plus, carbon offsets let individuals address climate change in a meaningful and immediate way. With well-established standards for transparency and quality, the old stigma of offsets being smoke and mirrors just doesn’t hold true anymore,” said Gero.

The Climate Action Reserve is a U.S. private nonprofit organization representing international interests in addressing climate change and bringing together participants from the government, environment and business sectors. It works to ensure environmental benefit, integrity and transparency in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting and reduction and progressive movement in GHG emissions policy nationally and in the Western U.S. The Climate Action Reserve is parent to three programs, the California Climate Action Registry, Climate Action Reserve and Center for Climate Action. As the successor organization of the California Climate Action Registry, the Climate Action Reserve continues building on the California Registry’s reputation as a respected and internationally recognized leader in climate change issues. For additional information, please visit www.climateactionreserve.org.