By the complete lack of feedback on my car emissions offset post, I’m guessing that voluntarily forking over $18 or so to offset automobile environment damage does not appeal to most people. True? Or are all of you busy signing up? ;)
I’m actually in Sacramento right now, visiting my friend Scott. Which means I helped put lots and lots of carbon emissions into the environment during my flight up here.
Luckily — for me, not the environment — the flight itself was super cheap — $5, to be exact. After like a decade of saving up miles, I finally collected enough to get a free flight up here.
So I figure I can fork over $12 for to offset those emissions, courtesy of NativeEnergy’s services (via Treehugger). The money will go toward WindBuilders, which’ll help create a new, clean, renewable energy, wind turbine.
I’m wondering if there’s any way to just get these carbon offset fees added to car registration renewal fees or plane tickets. It’s really tough trying to get people to do their own research to lessen their negative impacts on the environment, but I really think there’s a significant number of people out there who wouldn’t be opposed to paying the few extra bucks to go green.
I mean, we could start slow — Maybe by simply making it an option — you know, like on income tax forms, where you can choose whether or not to send $3 to the presidential election campaign. People can opt out, but at least be aware that this option exists, taking time to consider their options before checking yes or no…
Filed in: nativeenergy emissions offset carbon co2 aeroplanes plane flying
October 9th, 2005 at 12:04 am
Please, no. The endless “do you want to support this particular nonsense” questions at the end of the tax preparation are insulting. If I want to spend money, I can do that without a form helping me. And yes, the environment is a worthy cause - but before you know it, there are 25 other worthy causes attaching themselves.
Second, I have my doubt that the emission offset is much more than a giant scam. No matter if you pay or not, you’re still creating the same amount of emissions. As for the CO2 exchange - who sets the cap on it? What happens if a company can’t get enough credits? Since it’s all voluntary, at worst you opt out. Investing the money in green energy is a slightly better choice - but again, I’d rather invest directly than through an intermediary that is no doubt taking its own cut. (The fact that none of the alternatives you listed tells me what their cut is is not counting in their favor).
So, basically, until I know more about this offset system, I’ll invest in companies that work on green energy. I feel much better about that, and I’ll get a stake in green energy in return.
October 9th, 2005 at 7:44 am
Lots of folks know about the offsets, and it’s pretty simple. So no comments not big suprise.
FYI, Better World Club (the Auto Club Alternative) offers this, and also does something similar automagically if you book travel through them . . .
October 9th, 2005 at 12:22 pm
Tee hee — I thought talk about tax forms would incite commentary :)
Geez, Groby — Really don’t know how you got to the emissions offsets as “giant scam” theory — Drive Neutral’s run by grad students of Presidio, an affiliate of Alliant International, which is a non-profit university. TerraPass clearly states in their FAQ that their aiming for a cut of 10%. NativeEnergy’s a privately held Native American energy company, in which the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy holds a majority stake.
All this info is avaliable on their websites. And your questions about how the CO2 caps are set and how the program works in general is also detailed on the Chicago Climate Exchange website. An interesting read — One that I’d recommend before jumping to conclusions. But regardless, I think it’s great you’re investing in green energy, however you go about it :)
And Roger, gone green — Thanks for the info on Better World! I’ve been a member for a few years, but because I have my membership on autorenew, I hadn’t logged on to the site for a while and didn’t know they’d added all this cool new stuff –
October 10th, 2005 at 7:40 am
I don’t think DriveNeutral/TerraPass are the scam part. I’m not convinced about the CO2 exchange. OK. Let’s call it a “whitewash” instead of “scam”. As I said, that’s my preliminary reaction. You piqued my curiosity enough that I’m reading up on it - but forgive me for being a non-believer if it comes to environmental programs run with involvment of major corporations. Also, I’m not your classical “green” person - if I hadn’t stumbled upon your blog, I’d never even known of this. So I guess I’ll take some time to grok the info…
Your post about TerraPass still had a positive side effect - since I wasn’t convinced about the programs, but got info about the amount of CO2 I’m creating, I decided to switch to using the bus for my commute. Costs less than a TerraPass, and has actual emissions reduction ;)
October 10th, 2005 at 5:46 pm
I hear ya there, groby. I mean, I’d be doing twice as much good if I DIDN’T drive and still sent money to Drive Neutral or TerraPass ;)
How’s the commute for you so far? Mine’s been rather unreliable — Sometimes buses just don’t show up :( Hoping that’ll change once we get more commuters out there –
October 12th, 2005 at 8:36 am
Commute works well for me - but I’ve only got a couple of hops on Wilshire. (From Barrington to Westwood). And, honestly, I would take a bike. If it were’nt Wilshire. To bike on Wilshire, you need a pronounced death wish. I’ve just seen a colleague of mine banged up badly.
Anways, that means I can take 2,20,720 - and during my work hours, one of those is always available. Now if I could order a bus card over the Internet….
October 15th, 2005 at 12:11 pm
Technically, Siel, that plane would have flown with or without you, so I don’t think you need to worry about that. ;) But in terms of concrete things to do, I think riding a bike to work as much as possible and feasible will do much more. Saves money, saves emissions, and saves my sanity.