Dec 2, 2008 4:04 pm US/Eastern
EnergyWatch: Buying Carbon Offsets
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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As CBS 3's Liz Keptner reports, a growing number of companies are offering incentives that promise to offset the environmental impact caused by things we buy.
CBS
As CBS 3's Liz Keptner reports, a growing number of
companies are offering incentives that promise to offset the environmental
impact caused by things we buy.
Music lover Marcus Yelton loves concerts. He's also
determined to lead a green lifestyle. But sometimes his two passions aren't
exactly in harmony.
"When bands tour, riding in large buses or flying long
flights across the country, they clearly create some damage," said Yelton.
So Yelton was thrilled his ticket agent In Ticketing
charged him a few dollars to neutralize pollution.
"With In Ticketing, they made a decision to plant one tree
with every ticket that was sold online, and then they also offer the ability to
purchase carbon offsets."
A growing number of companies now sell some type of green
incentive. Airline flights, hotels, grocery shopping—just about anything you
can buy, you can buy carbon offsets for.
Carbon offsetting means, companies plant trees or invest
in clean energy projects with your money.
In Ticketing company says it offset nearly 5 million
pounds of carbon dioxide in a little over a year. That's the equivalent of
taking more than 400 cars off the road annually or recycling more than 12
million aluminum cans.
"It doesn't take a lot of time or energy on the consumer's
part," said Yelton.
The FTC encourages consumers to check out offset providers
before handing over cash.
Check to see
if their offsets are independently certified.
TerraPass is a national company that allows people to buy
carbon offsets and stakes in environmental projects like wind farms. TerraPass
now partners with several companies like Expedia and Enterprise Car Rental to
allow customers to pay a little extra at point of purchase to invest in an
offset.
Julia Bovey of the Natural Resources Defense Council says
the offset market has been called the Wild West because it's hard for consumers
to be certain that their money is actually going to offset the carbon footprint
of their purchase. The best way to know where your money is going, she says, is
to spend it on being environmentally responsible at home, buying recycled paper
products, energy-efficient light bulbs, driving less, and so on.
LINKS:
In Ticketing
http://www.inticketing.com/
FTC hearing notes on carbon offsets
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/carbonoffsets/index.shtml
TerraPass
http://www.terrapass.com/
Green-e, certifies carbon offsets
http://www.green-e.org/
The Climate Group, certifies carbon offsets
http://www.theclimategroup.org/about/associates
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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