I’ve posted about carbon offset initiatives before, and there’s plenty of information on the Internet about them–how they work, the pros and cons, efficacy, and son on–so I’ll save that for now. If you want to learn more, please start by checking out my previous post.
Earlier this year, after learning the harsh climate cost of air travel, I decided that from then on, I would “buy” offsets for any flights my wife and I take. I put “buy” in quotes because it’s not like you’re purchasing a product–it’s more like making a donation commensurate with the impact you wish you didn’t make. And of course, it’s not a perfect solution, but it seems like it’s about the best I can do for now, and in my opinion it’s certainly better than nothing.
Anyway, this is all by way of explaining that I made a donation to offset the three tons of CO2 that resulted from our trip, last week, to visit my family in Michigan. We don’t fly a huge amount, but I’ll continue to donate to offsets when we do.
2 responses so far ↓
TreeBanker // August 29, 2007 at 2:21 am
Since you’re on the subject of offsetting carbon I’d like to throw my hat in the ring.
What if there was a way for individuals to offset their carbon footprints and earn a profit at the same time.
I don’t think there’s any doubt about the fact that offset retailers are earning a nice profit in this new business.
I also understand that the whole carbon credit system is based on assigning a penalty to polluters by making them shell out money, in the form of compelling them to purchase carbon credits.
This “punishment” for polluting is supposed to help them (eventually) realize that its cheaper to reduce their emission levels than buy credits.
Where does this leave the individuals and institutions that want to voluntarily offset but can’t afford to just “donate” to the cause? How many more people would get involved if they could fund their retirement plans or earn their kids’ college tuition with their offset dollars?
I know, grow valuable, fast growing trees then harvest and sell them once they’re full of carbon.
Seems simple enough. It’s not buying offsets and hoping the money goes to a good project. It’s more like having your own offsetting system where you know your carbon is being offset because you can see the trees growing and measure exactly how much carbon they’re absorbing.
This system does exist and I’d love to share it with you.
Thanks for the time…
Dan…the TreeBanker
Tractorboy // September 7, 2007 at 11:58 am
Hi. I’ve just found your site and it is a great idea. I will link to your site from mine. You might want to read my post on carbon calculators and offsetting, (http://www.greenjellybean.org.uk/2007/07/carbon-calculators-and-offsetting.html) ? If nothing else, this site is great at getting you thinking about the whole concept of carbon offsetting and is why I will not be buying any and will instead be trying to modify my lifestyle instead to cause less harm directly. Cheers.
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