Article One:  
Carbon Offsets by Dee Stofko

Recently, I have become aware of some new environmental jargon—phrases such as “carbon footprint” and “carbon offsets”--and wondered just what they mean. After some Internet research, I discovered that everyone has a carbon footprint and that it is “the measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.” (www.carbonfootprint.com) 

So, we all impact the carbon emissions of the planet in some way—by our electricity and natural gas usage, and by our gasoline and airplane fuel, if we use air travel. “Carbon offsets enable individuals and businesses to reduce the CO₂ emissions they are responsible for by offsetting, reducing or displacing the C0₂ in another place, typically where it is more economical to do so”
(www.ecobusinesslinks.com/carbon_offset_wind_credits_carbon_reduction.htm) 

There are numerous calculators on the internet to help individuals determine their carbon footprint so they can first take steps to reduce it and subsequently offset what is left. I used the “An Inconvenient Truth Carbon Calculator” at (www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator) and discovered that my total personal impact is 5.65 tons per year. I also learned that this is smaller than average — probably because I use Green Mountain Energy which is 100% pollution-free electricity made from wind and water. At the Green Mountain website, I discovered that this saves 1,700 pounds of CO2 per month or 10.2 tons per year. I divided that number by 4 because there are 4 individuals in my household and I came up with a personal savings of 2.55 tons per year.

On the EcoBusinessLinks Environmental Directory site listed above, I discovered the cost of offsetting my individual carbon footprint. Native Energy, mentioned on the (www.climatecrisis.net) website, sells offsets at $13.20/ton for a total of $74.58 to offset my excess carbon emissions for an entire year. But some of the carbon offset businesses are significantly cheaper. The offset on these pages are divided into project types which include methane, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects. Isn't it our duty to give back what we take from our environment?