Comments on: New Year’s GreenSolutions http://eco-chick.com/2006/12/29/new-years-greensolutions/ Because Mother Earth Is A Woman Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:50:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Dave Sag http://eco-chick.com/2006/12/29/new-years-greensolutions/#comment-35118 Dave Sag Thu, 18 Jan 2007 14:52:24 +0000 http://eco-chick.com/?p=678#comment-35118 @Kim: Of course offsetting is not the only solution, indeed we emphasise a policy of Measure - Reduce - then Offset. The point you make is only slightly valid I believe. If there is a genuine cost to be borne for emitting carbon then people will be much more likely to consider ways of reducing their emissions. As it stands now most people happily pump CO2 into the air at no financial cost to themselves. That cost must be borne by the Earth itself, and as a consequence all of us. The European experience with carbon offsets has been somewhat tarnished by a variety of cowboy operations I am afraid, but the reality is, at least in our case, each carbon credit you buy certifies the removal of a tonne of CO2 from the air and the storage of that carbon for 100 years. @Bekabug: There are many types of carbon credits, some better than others, but, in most cases they are a medium of exchange, transferring money from polluters (ie you and me and others) to projects that reduce atmospheric carbon levels. It's a similar principal to paying to have your garbage collected really. Please take a read of <a href="http://www.carbonplanet.com/home/carbon_credits_faq.php" rel="nofollow">our carbon credits FAQ</a> for a fuller explanation. @Kim: Of course offsetting is not the only solution, indeed we emphasise a policy of Measure - Reduce - then Offset. The point you make is only slightly valid I believe. If there is a genuine cost to be borne for emitting carbon then people will be much more likely to consider ways of reducing their emissions. As it stands now most people happily pump CO2 into the air at no financial cost to themselves. That cost must be borne by the Earth itself, and as a consequence all of us.

The European experience with carbon offsets has been somewhat tarnished by a variety of cowboy operations I am afraid, but the reality is, at least in our case, each carbon credit you buy certifies the removal of a tonne of CO2 from the air and the storage of that carbon for 100 years.

@Bekabug: There are many types of carbon credits, some better than others, but, in most cases they are a medium of exchange, transferring money from polluters (ie you and me and others) to projects that reduce atmospheric carbon levels. It’s a similar principal to paying to have your garbage collected really. Please take a read of our carbon credits FAQ for a fuller explanation.

]]> By: jill danyelle http://eco-chick.com/2006/12/29/new-years-greensolutions/#comment-34604 jill danyelle Thu, 04 Jan 2007 22:38:55 +0000 http://eco-chick.com/?p=678#comment-34604 thanks for the mention starre! happy new year! thanks for the mention starre! happy new year!

]]> By: bekabug http://eco-chick.com/2006/12/29/new-years-greensolutions/#comment-34561 bekabug Wed, 03 Jan 2007 14:51:15 +0000 http://eco-chick.com/?p=678#comment-34561 my next step this year is to green up my wardrobe. i totally don't understand the carbon credits and how they help anything at all. as an aside, if you put your desktop PC on a power strip and turn it off regularly, you'll run the CMOS battery down which can cause problems. happy new year! my next step this year is to green up my wardrobe. i totally don’t understand the carbon credits and how they help anything at all.

as an aside, if you put your desktop PC on a power strip and turn it off regularly, you’ll run the CMOS battery down which can cause problems.

happy new year!

]]> By: Kim http://eco-chick.com/2006/12/29/new-years-greensolutions/#comment-34474 Kim Mon, 01 Jan 2007 14:55:10 +0000 http://eco-chick.com/?p=678#comment-34474 I guess its the idea that people can just give money and feel they are doing something for the environment, that concerns me. People could thereby continue living in excess if they just perpetually give money to whatever cause they feel offsets their ways. Change, as we all know, needs to come a bit sooner than merely offsetting. I can see the benefits of it. You are right, its a price/expense that people perhaps should have been aware of already. I guess its the idea that people can just give money and feel they are doing something for the environment, that concerns me. People could thereby continue living in excess if they just perpetually give money to whatever cause they feel offsets their ways. Change, as we all know, needs to come a bit sooner than merely offsetting. I can see the benefits of it. You are right, its a price/expense that people perhaps should have been aware of already.

]]> By: Dave Sag http://eco-chick.com/2006/12/29/new-years-greensolutions/#comment-34447 Dave Sag Mon, 01 Jan 2007 01:55:13 +0000 http://eco-chick.com/?p=678#comment-34447 @Kim: I could not agree more. For more info on the tree-planting undertaken by my company see our <a href="http://www.carbonplanet.com/home/forests_nsw_faq.php" rel="nofollow">Forests NSW FAQ</a>. I don't accept that buying carbon credits is a 'guilt tax', but its simply finally paying for something that should never have been free in the first place. Its an issue of responsibility rather than guilt. Carbon credits are simply a unit of exchange for environmental benefits. In our case they certify the removal of a tonne of CO2 from the atmosphere and the storage of that carbon for 100 years. We buy our carbon credits off people who use the CO2 sucking power of trees as a mechanism to remove and store that carbon. @Starre: no worries. @Kim: I could not agree more. For more info on the tree-planting undertaken by my company see our Forests NSW FAQ. I don’t accept that buying carbon credits is a ‘guilt tax’, but its simply finally paying for something that should never have been free in the first place. Its an issue of responsibility rather than guilt. Carbon credits are simply a unit of exchange for environmental benefits. In our case they certify the removal of a tonne of CO2 from the atmosphere and the storage of that carbon for 100 years. We buy our carbon credits off people who use the CO2 sucking power of trees as a mechanism to remove and store that carbon.
@Starre: no worries.

]]> By: Starre http://eco-chick.com/2006/12/29/new-years-greensolutions/#comment-34387 Starre Sat, 30 Dec 2006 20:33:17 +0000 http://eco-chick.com/?p=678#comment-34387 Thanks for the correction Dave! Thanks for the correction Dave!

]]> By: Kim http://eco-chick.com/2006/12/29/new-years-greensolutions/#comment-34384 Kim Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:23:45 +0000 http://eco-chick.com/?p=678#comment-34384 Dave - thanks for mentioning the ad-hoc tree planting schemes etc.. I was approached by a company that was planning a reforestation project that entailed planting NON-NATIVE trees in the western US. When I asked them about it (ie: the species - where they were planting - what scientists were backing up their research etc,) they never responded. PLEASE make sure the offsetting you do is responsibly managed. I myself have debated the 'guilt-tax' factor of it, but agree that to increase awareness and mindful action is a good thing, especially in the instance Starre mentioned, which is flying. Some people have to fly for their work etc.. and offsetting is a way to give back in that instance. Dave - thanks for mentioning the ad-hoc tree planting schemes etc.. I was approached by a company that was planning a reforestation project that entailed planting NON-NATIVE trees in the western US. When I asked them about it (ie: the species - where they were planting - what scientists were backing up their research etc,) they never responded. PLEASE make sure the offsetting you do is responsibly managed. I myself have debated the ‘guilt-tax’ factor of it, but agree that to increase awareness and mindful action is a good thing, especially in the instance Starre mentioned, which is flying. Some people have to fly for their work etc.. and offsetting is a way to give back in that instance.

]]> By: Dave Sag http://eco-chick.com/2006/12/29/new-years-greensolutions/#comment-34382 Dave Sag Sat, 30 Dec 2006 18:27:33 +0000 http://eco-chick.com/?p=678#comment-34382 Nice article but I feel bound to correct one small factual error. Carbon Planet retails carbon credits sourced exclusively from forestry projects, not alternative energy projects. One reason for this is we wanted to ensure that, for each credit someone buys, actual CO2 is removed from the air. I believe it's far better for the planet to support properly managed reforestation projects than ad-hoc tree planting schemes or wind farms. Cheers Dave (CEO, Carbon Planet). Nice article but I feel bound to correct one small factual error. Carbon Planet retails carbon credits sourced exclusively from forestry projects, not alternative energy projects. One reason for this is we wanted to ensure that, for each credit someone buys, actual CO2 is removed from the air. I believe it’s far better for the planet to support properly managed reforestation projects than ad-hoc tree planting schemes or wind farms. Cheers Dave (CEO, Carbon Planet).

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