Shifting Into Neutral
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What You Can Do to Go Carbon Neutral
1. Trim Your Carbon Before Buying Offsets.
"Start as close to home as you can," Prindle advises. "Look at what
you're doing [to reduce energy consumption] in your house, your vehicles
and your behavior." For specifics, see our Carbon Calculator Chart.
Call your electric company and ask if it provides green energy directly. For tips, see "Convert to Green Power" and our Green Power Utilities Product Report.
2. Ready, Set, Offset!
Even if you have access to reliable public transportation or train
service, you probably still drive cars and fly in planes, at least some
of the time. For these unavoidable greenhouse emissions, you can look to
a carbon offset provider. See the chart below for a breakdown of
offerings.
WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR
Providers generally offer a combination of these three types of "offsets:"
| RENEWABLE ENERGY CREDITS (RECs) | CO2 OFFSETS | CAP-AND-TRADE | |
| What They Are | Also called "green tags;" RECs represent 1 mega-watt hour (mWh) of renewable energy production; not an actual greenhouse gas reduction. | Sold by the ton; sponsored projects physically reduce or eliminate greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In general, carbon offsets don't result in actual energy production. | Also known as "pooled carbon commodities" or "emissions trading schemes;" participants commit to reducing greenhouse gases to a certain level. Once that level is reached, further reductions can be sold or traded in the form of certificates. |
| Some Examples | Wind farms, solar farms, biogas generators (NativeEnergy, The CarbonNeutral Company) | Reforestation projects, or "carbon sequestration;" methane abatement; developing energy efficient technologies. (Terrapass, The CarbonNeutral Company | U.S.: Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX); Kyoto signatories: Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) (AgCert/Driving Green, Terrapass) |
| Major Issues | Ownership; additionality for renewable energy projects is hard to demonstrate. | Ownership; permanance, particularly for carbon sequestration. When trees die, much of the CO2 they've absorbed while alive is released back into the atmosphere. | Emissions certificates are traded like stocks or bonds. Purchasing a certificate offsets what you can't reduce yourself. Certificates are easily double-sold; ownership is difficult to assess. |
Finding an Offset Provider: Questions to Ask
* Do you use an independent standard to ensure the additionality and
quality of the offsets you sell? (Independent third-party verification,
such as the Green-e certification for renewable energy, is always best).
* If not, how do you demonstrate that the projects in your portfolio would not have happened without the carbon offset market?
* Can you demonstrate that your offsets are not sold to multiple buyers? Look for providers that "retire" renewable energy credits (RECs), CO2 offsets or cap-and-trade certificates.
* What are you doing to educate consumers about global warming and energy efficiency? (Reputable providers should place a heavy emphasis on conserving resources.)
For more information:
Clean Air-Cool Planet
"Voluntary Offsets For Air-Travel Carbon Emissions," Tufts Climate Initiative
Green Guide 119 | March/April 2007 | For Your Community
The Green Guide To Go
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