‘You. Smart. Thing.’ x onboard:earth partnership
‘You. Smart. Thing.’ (YST) has integrated with onboard:earth to help you make your trip a force for good. The most recent product update to the YST-powered travel assistant allows visitors to both plan a low-carbon journey and donate to offset unavoidable travel-related emissions, restoring and preserving vital ecosystems.
Why the YST x onboard:earth Integration Matters
Our mission at YST is to deliver brilliant sustainable events. We’ve partnered with onboard:earth, a charity whose mission aligns with ours, to amplify the social and environmental impact of YST software. onboard:earth supports the live events industry by promoting low–carbon travel and supporting restoration projects around the world to offset unavoidable travel-related carbon emissions. They channel donations from event audiences to projects that restore and preserve threatened ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and create sustainable livelihoods in communities already suffering the worst effects of climate change.
The onboard:earth integration is being made available to all YST clients, giving them the option to enable visitors, delegates, event participants, volunteers and suppliers to offset travel-related carbon emissions.
Why Travel Matters
Transport is the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, now producing about 30% of total emissions as of 2024. When focusing on the outdoor live events sector, travel is the single largest emissions source. According to AGF Festival Carbon Footprint Report 2022/23, 41% of carbon emissions come from visitor travel, increasing to 58% when including supply chain and artist travel.
It’s clear that tackling travel is a priority. By taking the lead, the live events industry has the opportunity to influence and inspire millions of visitors to step up and engage with the climate crisis – encouraging more people to make individual changes, stay informed, and use their voices to demand that politicians make life on this planet their priority.
onboard:earth recognise that the very best solution to the issue of travel is to prevent carbon emissions by moving to low-carbon travel, which is where the YST travel
assistant comes in: ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ (YST) is the leading travel demand management and journey planning platform for destinations, venues, and events. By sending every visitor a personalised, low-carbon travel plans, visitors are nudged towards sustainable, active travel. The software also improves visitor experience and accessibility, reduces strain on the transportation network, and captures valuable data on people movement and associated CO2e emissions.
While event organisers, venues and destinations are advancing efforts to reduce operational emissions, through renewable energy, sustainable catering and collaborating with their supply chain, addressing travel emissions remains a significant challenge. Deploying the YST-powered travel assistant positively shifts travel behaviour; however, carbon emissions are inevitable until private and public transport solutions are decarbonised.
Everyone can do something positive about those unavoidable travel-related carbon emissions by making a donation to support projects that protect parts of the planet and people under threat from global warming.
Funding Environmental Restoration with onboard:earth: Where Does Your Money Go?
When you donate to onboard:earth through the YST-powered travel assistant, your donation is channelled to their Trees+ programme: a portfolio of environmental restoration projects that offset and sink carbon, preserve and restore threatened ecosystems, and uphold climate justice. Trees+ is based on £29 per tonne of CO2e which is split between four established partners, with an administration cost of 20% to continue onboard:earth’s work in amplifying climate action in the live events industry.
This breaks down as follows:
- Offsetting 1 tonne of CO2e with Verified Carbon Standard projects (VCS) and/or Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) certified projects. In 2025 and 2026, the offset project is a clean cookstove initiative in Togo, West Africa, where the new stoves reduce deforestation by 50%, improve health and empower women in the community.
- Protecting threatened rainforest from deforestation, preserving natural habitats and biodiversity: projects that store and sequester vast quantities of carbon to help in the fight against climate change, preserving and restore vital wildlife corridors with community involvement.
- Tree planting, ecosystem restoration and community development in Northern Malawi. In an area where extreme weather disruption from climate change already affects quality of life, onboard:earth’s established partner works with local people to create sustainable livelihoods that involve reforestation and the protection of local resources.
- Restoring and protecting marine seagrass beds across the UK and globally. Seagrass is the most effective nature-based solution for sequestering carbon, even more than trees. Funding this work protects and restores marine ecosystems all around the UK coastline.
Visit the onboard:earth website to find out more about their Trees+ programme and individual project partners https://onboard.earth/trees/
The Event Production Show 2026 Case Study
The YST x onboard:earth integration was first deployed for the Event Production Show travel assistant service. Mash Media adopted this solution to tackle their event emissions, encouraging delegates to offset their travel emissions.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Event Travel
With the YST x onboard:earth integration, we’re making it possible for every event visitor and business traveller to take responsibility for their carbon footprint. This collaboration isn’t just about offsetting emissions – it’s about investing in impactful environmental restoration projects that benefit the planet and future generations.
Join us in making smarter, greener choices and paving the way for responsible event travel. For more information on how ‘You. Smart. Thing.‘ can help your event, visit our website or contact us directly.
