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Otherwise if your after general info on how it works, here's a few frequently asked questions ...
What is carbon offsetting?
Everything we do creates carbon dioxide emissions.
But some things in your lifestyle you can reduce – such as hanging your clothes on the line instead of using the dryer. Or walking to the shops instead of driving.
No matter how much you reduce, your lifestyle will always produce some level of Carbon Dioxide emissions – whether by driving, using electricity or flying a plane.
Carbon Offsetting is where the emissions produced by YOU, which you can’t reduce, are reduced by professional organisations around the world, known as Project Developers.
Think of the following example: You brush your teeth every day, because this is a simple action which you can take to prevent tooth decay.
But you must see a dentist regularly, because he or she can remove the plaque which you are unable to remove.
This is the same as Carbon Offsetting – the Project Developers (Dentist) reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions (Plaque) which you are unable to reduce. And you must do this regularly, to help keep the environment in good shape.
How do the Project Developers reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions? (i.e. Where does my money go….)
Project Developers are professionals who can reduce carbon dioxide emissions on a large scale. Take the example of a community which is currently powered by a polluting Diesel Generator. By switching the Island on to solar panels, this will replace the diesel generator, reducing a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions.
The project developer needs an income to pay back the investment of Solar Panels that were installed on the island. So he or she sells the Carbon Dioxide Emissions savings (known as a carbon credit) to people like you!
So one Carbon Credit is equal to one (minus) Carbon Dioxide. And if you think of your emissions as one (plus) Carbon Dioxide, then one cancels out the other!
We profile the projects which we support in the ‘Project Focus’ section. Check it out, there are some great projects which reduce Carbon Emissions on a large scale.
How does this help my business?
If you are a business, for example, it may be cheaper to offset your emissions than reduce… take a look at the following problem:
We are a courier company delivering packages interstate by light trucks. It is twice as expensive to move the packages by air, but it uses almost half the amount of CO2 for the trip.
And now the solution:
To reduce the courier company’s carbon footprint at the least cost, we recommend offsetting the light truck transport rather than switching to flight transport. To offset every package will only add 10% on to the cost, rather than twice the cost by flying.
So in this situation, carbon neutrality has been achieved at the lowest cost possible by offsetting emissions.
To work out your carbon emissions ‘footprint’:
You can use the COzero calculator to work out your carbon emissions footprint. We will match your footprint, which is measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide, with the best project we can find to help you offset your emissions.
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