Simplify

When I first saw a TerraPass on an SUV, I was annoyed. Do people really think they can justify driving an SUV in an urban setting by paying for someone across the globe to plant some trees? But with green being the new black and carbon-neutral being the latest trend, I wanted to know, does it really work. Here’s what I found out.

What are carbon offsets?

The idea is simple. By getting on an airplane, I am personally responsible for a portion of the carbon emissions from that airplane. To compensate or offset that, I can give money to an organization that works at removing carbon from the atmosphere. It’s simple math. If I pay to remove as much carbon from the air as I put in, the net effect is zero or carbon-neutrality. I can enjoy my vacation knowing that I caused no harm.

So what’s wrong with that?

The problem is, it just isn’t that simple. First, not all offsets are created equal - some are good, some are less good (or arguably bad). Second, there are no standards, thus how much to offset is controversial. Third, the rationale behind offsetting is a short-term solution at best and arguably a convenient way to make those of us who can afford a carbon rich lifestyle feel less guilty about our impact on the environment.

Good Offsets vs. Bad Offsets

The carbon-offset industry is a mess. With no standards and dozens of “certifications”, as a consumer it’s tough to tell if you are really buying anything beyond a piece of paper. There are countless stories of offsets that turned out be meaningless, including some recommended by the British government.

Then there is the type of offset. You can pay to plant some trees, invest in solar energy, support training programs for 3rd world countries, replace old equipment with more energy-efficient equipment and so on. There are a multitude of options. What is a concerned consumer to do?

There is endless literature on the topic (see a handful of references below). But the quick summary is such:

Tree Planting: low cost, less effective than other methods, non-native plants may wreak havoc on the local ecosystem.

Renewable energy: wind power, solar power, etc. Lowers the emissions associated with generating energy.

Energy conservation: invests in equipment that lowers the demand for energy (sustainable housing, energy-efficient equipment, etc).

Methane combustion / capture - Significantly reduces the emissions from methane.

Another critical question to answer is, would the project happen if you didn’t buy the offsets? There have been countless scams where offsets were sold to support projects that were already funded. It’s key to find out if the offset is actually having an impact.

How much is enough?

Ok, so you do your homework and you find some good offset options. The next problem is that no two organizations measure your carbon impact the same way. So how do you know the right amount to offset? This is perhaps one of the most controversial problems associated with offsets. Until there are standards around this industry there won’t be a good answer.

The ethics of offsetting.

I found that I wasn’t alone in thinking that buying your way out of the consequences of your actions doesn’t actually compensate for your actions. It still rubs me the wrong way to think that by investing in solar energy it makes it okay for me to contribute to the problem by living a high carbon-emission lifestyle. First and foremost, before even considering offsets, I feel like I should do everything I can realistically do to reduce my carbon emissions. I see carbon offsets as the very last option when I have no other choice.

Want to learn more? Check out these articles.

• Practical Values: Paying for My Hot Air by Mother Jones
• The Inconvenient Truth About the Carbon Offset Industry by The Guardian
• Another Inconvenient Truth by Business Week
• Wikipedia overview on Carbon Offsets

Previous Green Tuesday Articles:

• Organic vs. Locally-Grown Food
• Switch to CFL Bulbs and Unplug Those Energy-Wasters

Thanks to vendors like Whole Foods, the organic food movement has become trendy. But if your goal is to be good to the earth, organic may not be good enough.

The key to buying environmentally-friendly produce is to know where your food is coming from. If you buy organic tomatoes shipped from Mexico, you are supporting an organic farmer, but you are also incurring the costs of shipping the tomatoes from Mexico to you. Compare this to the effects of buying locally grown produce that may not be grown organically. Some argue that locally grown trumps organic when it comes to the impact on the earth.

Obviously, locally-grown, organic produce is the best option. Save the earth (and your body) from harmful pesticides and avoid the pollutants from transporting the food.

If your neighborhood grocery store doesn’t carry locally-grown, organic produce, see if your area has a farmer’s market. Not all produce at farmer’s markets is organic or locally-grown, but some will be. Ask the vendors where their produce is grown and with what methods. Most I’ve talked have been more than willing to provide details.

If you can’t find a local farmer’s market, search online for produce delivery services or for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group. Again, ask specifically about organic vs. locally-grown.

I live in California, so it is easy for me to eat locally-grown, organic produce. I realize it’s not so easy for people who live in less agriculture-friendly environments. Nonetheless, organic vs. locally-grown is an interesting debate. If you want to read more, explore the following links:

• Eating Better Than Organic - Time Magazine
• Should You Go Organic or Locally Grown? - Yahoo Health
• Is It Better To Buy Local or Organic Food? - How Stuff Works

Or if you are interested in learning more about where all your food comes from, not just produce, check out The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

Despite the recent trendiness (or admittedly, maybe because of the recent trendiness), I’ve been putting more of a focus on living green. I’m an outdoorsy, environmentally-aware gal and I feel I should do my part. But where do I start? There’s so much conflicting information and it’s all a little overwhelming. I’ve decided to help focus my efforts and get better at it each week, I’m going to blog every Tuesday about one more thing I’m doing to live green.

This week, I did two things:

1) I switched all my light bulbs to CFLs. Over the past year, I’ve been replacing bulbs as they burnt out, but after reading this article, I decided to stop waiting and do a whole-house inventory. For those of you who hate to link off (do it anyway, Pablo writes good stuff), here’s a quick summary:

• CFLs are almost 3x as efficient as incandescent bulbs, making it more than worth the money and sunk (environmental) cost of having to produce and transport that old bulb.
• CFLs produce less heat and thus are less of a fire hazard.
• While CFLs contain some mercury, they may cut down on mercury emissions - read the article for more details.
• Old drawbacks of CFLS, such as slow light up times and dim lighting, have been improved upon recently and are hardly different from incandescents.
• And if all of that isn’t enough, you’ll save money.

2) I started unplugging appliances when not in use. Most appliances, even while off, still drain electricity while plugged in. Unplug those suckers. I unplugged the following:

• coffee maker
• toaster oven
• blender
• paper shredder
• roomba (I plug it in to charge on the day I plan to use it)
• rarely used old PC
• VCR (why do I still own this?)
• xbox 360

As soon as I figure out how to make it easy to plug back in, I also plan to unplug my tv, stereo receiver and dvd player. But right now they are stuffed behind an entertainment center. If anyone has any good suggestions I’d love to hear them in the comments.