The Conservation Conversation: How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Without Really Trying (Part 2 of 3)

In Part 1 of this series, I explained that each of us has a "carbon footprint" that contributes greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the already overloaded atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change.  (And don't be fooled -- there is no serious scientific debate anymore about whether it is happening, only about how fast it is coming on and how bad it will be for our children, grandchildren and beyond.)

Our carbon footprint is the sum total of direct GHG emissions (from burning gasoline in our cars to burning fuel to heat the house and to cook food), plus indirect emissions (associated with every product we use from apples to zucchinis, and the i-Phone in between).  The footprint for an average American is a whopping 50,000 pounds of GHGs per year -- the highest in the world.

There are things we can do to reduce our carbon footprint -- drive less, set the thermostat a little lower, buy locally grown foods where available, and so on.  But while these are good things to do, they really won't make a very big dent in the overall GHG emissions attributable to any of us.

So here for your consideration are two simple and reasonably inexpensive steps that will dramatically reduce your personal carbon footprint: (1) switch to renewably generated electricity, and (2) purchase carbon offsets. 

Renewable electricity is produced from non-fossil fuel sources that are … well, renewable.  Its production does not involve a significant net release of GHGs.  The most common forms of renewable energy include hydro power, wind and solar, although there are many other sources including geothermal, tidal, and biomass. 

Here in New York, you can choose from among more than sixty different electricity suppliers (!).  OF these, a dozen or more have plans under which you can purchase renewable energy instead of energy produced from conventional sources such as power plants that burn coal, oil or gas.  (You can check them out at: http://www.newyorkpowertochoose.com/ )

For example, Con Ed Solutions, a subsidiary of Con Ed, offers two renewable energy products to its customers: “green power” (a mix of 35% wind and 65% small hydro) and “wind power” (100% wind).

Clearing your conscience this way is easy and effective, but it is not (yet)  free.  At present, renewable energy is typically more expensive than conventional forms of energy.  The cost difference, however, is minimal, making this a very affordable way to “do the right thing.”   Con Ed Solution’s “green power” product costs an additional one cent per kilowatt-hour, while its “wind power” product costs a further one and a half cents more per kilowatt hour.  Some utilities offer discounts to encourage customers to switch to renewable sources of power.  For example, Viridian's cost for wind-generated electricity is actually cheaper, at least for the first six months, than some other companies charge for non-renewable electricity.

The second incredibly easy way to reduce your carbon footprint is to purchase offsets for those activities that emit GHGs.  Carbon offsets are financial instruments that compensate for emissions produced in one place by funding an equivalent GHG saving somewhere else.  A common type of offset is funding the construction or purchase of renewable energy.  Other types of offsets include energy efficiency projects, the elimination of industrial pollutants or agricultural byproducts, the capture and beneficial use or destruction of landfill methane (methane has 23 times the greenhouse impact as carbon dioxide), and reforestation projects.

There are a number of entities from which you can purchase carbon offsets to mitigate your own GHG emissions from transportation, electricity use, home heating, etc.  The cost for these offsets is small.  Carbonfund.org (a leading carbon offset company) charges $1.25 for offsetting 300 pounds of CO2, a typical daily output for one person.  It charges $5.00 for 1,200 pounds, equal to a person’s normal output for a week, and $240 for a typical annual output (not counting non-average air or car travel).

You can also purchase carbon offsets to compensate for GHG emissions associated with travel.  United and Jet Blue are two examples of airlines with websites that invite customers to buy offsets when purchasing a ticket; some car rental companies do the same.

In other words, for around $300 most of us could offset our entire yearly carbon footprint.  That’s not a trivial amount of money, but at less than $1 per day it’s manageable ... and its all tax deductible.

So Do the Right Thing.   It’s easy, it’s not very expensive, it helps the planet, your actions will spur others to do the same, and you’ll sleep better at night.

Next time: One more step you can take to save the planet and your soul.  This one is more complicated and expensive (at least in the short run, but can pay off handsomely over about a seven year period.