Two families I know are
concerned about the amount of energy they use in their daily routines
and the resulting greenhouse gas emitted by their actions. The impact
each of us have on the environment is referred to as our "carbon
footprint." These families decided to spend a little extra money each
month to attempt to neutralize their footprint. They purchased
something called "carbon offsets." Offsets are when we, the consumer,
pay a third party to remove a quantity of carbon from the air to
balance the carbon pollution we put into it. Different offsets are
offered by different offset companies. Some use our money to plant
trees, some use it to burn methane from animal manure and landfills,
and some build solar and wind power. It would cost the average driver
only $1.50 per month to offset their car use.
Some giant corporations such as Travelocity and Expedia offer offsets
for customers' travel arranged through them. By purchasing offsets, the
2005 film "Syriana" was the first carbon-neutral movie and in 2006, "An
Inconvenient Truth" became the first carbon-neutral documentary. Whole
Foods Market offsets all of its almost 200 stores through the purchase
of wind power. Goggle, the Super Bowel, the Academy Awards and other
are offsetting all, or at least some, of their footprint.
While offsets are an important effort and should ideally be done by
most of us, there is no current way to ensure that your offset company
is actually doing what it promises. Your money may go to purchase
methane gas, but this is actually a more potent greenhouse gas than
CO2. Your company may plants trees, but there is no guarantee that the
company will use it for that purpose, that the company will plant
anymore trees because of the few dollars that you gave it, or that the
tree will be planted in an area where they are most needed. Some
environmentalists worry that when people buy offsets they may think
they no longer have to change their polluting habits.
To fix these problems, some organizations such as Clean Air-Cool Planet
are creating monitoring and rating systems. Organizations like this are
attempting to bring some standard measuring for the effectiveness of
companies offering offsets. They look at where our money goes and for
what purpose, the history of the offset company and how open the
company is about its use of our money. While acknowledging some
problems with some offsetting companies, the Sierra Club thinks that
good quality offsets are a useful educational tool. They see offsets as
helping people think about their personal responsibility for greenhouse
gasses and giving them a way to take a concrete step for the
environment. Many of their group trips offer offsets.
At the very least, we see that more and more people are becoming aware
that each of us has a carbon footprint and that global warming is a
serious, if not the most serious issue facing humankind. Even if some
of these efforts are not all they might seem to be, more and more
people are making an effort to do something about their impact on the
earth and more standards are being adopted for offsets.
So what is a concerned Co-op'er to do? Let's make it simple. First,
reduce your carbon footprint by buying local, driving a small car and
driving as little as possible, using compact fluorescent light bulbs,
shutting off lights and computers behind you, shoveling snow instead of
snowblowing, using push or electric lawn mowers rather than a
gasoline-powered ones, allowing your lawns to grow as much as possible,
and line-drying your clothes. Go to the website below to calculate your
carbon footprint and sign up for a respected offset. Always vote for
candidates who support the environment and shop at stores that do their
share.
Calculate your footprint and get offsets at:
http://coopcoffees.com/resources/get-involved/go-green/the-very-best-of-best-practices.
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