you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

and that's why I like carbon offsets.

a show of hands...
how many people out there use plastic bags at the grocery store?
buy products in single-serve containers when you could've bought a larger one?
go faster than the speed limit?
take plane trips or boat rides "for fun?"

you get the idea.

if you don't already know, a carbon offset is a way of paying money to offset greenhouse gas emissions. it can be for a business (e.g., a petroleum refinery or power plant) or it can be on an individual level. you generate some type of greenhouse gas in the majority of things you do--hell, even breathing generates CO2, right? But there are much, MUCH larger sources--your temperature-controlled, artificially lit home, your car, your fuel for your car, you get the idea.

so, in ideal land, you will drive less, you will reduce, reuse and recycle (and freecycle!), you will bring reusable grocery bags and buy local and organic and compost and you know the drill! and if you do these things you will, ultimately, produce fewer and fewer and fewer greenhouse gas emissions and contribute less and less and less to the greenhouse effect and global warming.

peachy with a side of keen, yes?

but there are at least three flaws. likely more. I'm sure I'm missing some.

a) you can't get to zero.
unless you hunt for your own wild game, walk everywhere, and live in the elements, you will never get to zero. I, Carrie, try as I may, will never get down to "none."

b) not everyone gives a sh*t, even though they should.
this means that there will be plenty of people who take speedy joyrides in their need-two-ladders-to-get-in-'em trucks, refuse to recycle and.

c) many people don't have control over all aspects of their contribution to greenhouse gases, either. maybe they travel by plane many times a week because their boss says they must. maybe they are a door-to-door salesperson or a pizza delivery guy. maybe they have to print everything in triplicate for record-keeping purposes. maybe they are stuck in a mortgage they can barely afford and their office is a 40 minute drive away and they haven't found a new job yet.

Many (like Christal, but also about a bazillion others) argue that having carbon offsets is simply a license to keep doing what we're doing. for instance, celebrity jet setters. And to some extent, I agree with them. For the rich and famous, I'd agree that this probably IS a common problem. I'd hazard that there are thousands or tens of thousands or more who have huge pockets and just emit that carbon on a whim and figure they'll avoid some scrutiny by offsetting it. People like Mr. DiCrapio are a wee bit hypocritical, methinks. (though ye without eco-sin cast the first stone, hmm?) The offset system can VERY easily be abused and misused. I see why it gives some people a sour taste in their mouth. I do.

But, most people? They don't have the cash to behave in such a carefree fashion. They don't go jetting to France one day 'cause they want to trace the story of the Da Vinci Code or have some really good wine. Unfortunately, a huge number of people don't even care enough to turn off their cars while they run inside a store "just for a minute."

Plus, I think that the people who buy them, or even consider them? They're people like some of you, and people like me--who feel compelled to tread as lightly as possible, people who want to reverse or at least stop the horrible changes that are happening to mother earth.

a little math. fuzzy and pretend, but math nonetheless.

let's say for simplicity US folks emit 150 lb CO2 per day.

let's say that someone reduces their emissions in half. So they're at 75 lb CO2 per day. They cut them in half! that's fantastic!!!

but it's still putting 75lb of CO2 into the air every day. every damn day. what are you going to do, ask 'em to halve it again?

and then let's say they did nothing. well now we have 150 lb CO2 going every day. they were going to have the same habits either way. but if they buy the offset, at least their net effect is zero.

I mean, Matt and I bought them when we went on our roadtrip. I also pay $10 extra month to have my power usage offset, because I'm gonna use the computer and control the temperature in my home and run the dishwasher and use the refridgerator, you know?

And, let's just say that some people do use it as a bandaid to cover up their eco-indiscretions...well, I say let them! Let them fund that wind farm or solar collector. Let them plant some trees. Let them negate it. Encourage them to reduce their emissions, you betcha, but if they won't or can't? Let them undo what they've done.

for now.

when we have our wind farms and we're all using plug in hybrids from solar, hydro and wind plants, maybe we should adjust our thinking, tinker with the process and make it better. but for now, let those jet setters fund our advances in sustainable energy, that's what I say!