Give your friends and loved ones a little (renewable) energy
The holiday season usually requires figuring out travel plans, whether across town or across the world. Regardless of the destination, get there with as little guilt as possible - environmental guilt, that is.
An average commercial domestic U.S. flight releases more than 1,700 pounds of greenhouse gases per passenger, and our cars unload four to 10 tons of carbon dioxide, on average, into the atmosphere every year. Ick!
So what can you do? Bike across the country to visit family during the holidays? Unless you’re Lance Armstrong, consider buying energy offset credits instead. You’ll reach the same goal of breathable air with less guilt.
How They Help
Credits help offset the environmental costs of our energy needs by funding renewable energy sources, like wind and solar power, elsewhere on the grid. Some programs also promote reforestation to help absorb greenhouse gases, or carbon capture and sequestration programs to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases actively trapping heat in the atmosphere. The credits you buy probably won’t directly affect the energy you use on a day-to-day basis, but will provide renewable energy elsewhere or absorb the equivalent amount of greenhouse gas emissions as if you had run your car or your home on renewable power.
Where to Get Them
Credits are not only useful for you but make great gifts. There are several organizations that allow you to buy credits for others. (Hint: They’re especially perfect for the person who has “everything.”)
For credits linked to travel, check out Better World Travel’s options for purchasing carbon credits.
Calculate your environmental footprint and donate money to plant trees at the American Forests website.
Carbonfund buys carbon emission credits and retires them, decreasing the amount of carbon going into the atmosphere. You can calculate your own “carbon footprint” online. The organization touts they are cheaper than similar groups.
TerraPass guarantees it will reduce industrial carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to the use of your (or your gift recipient’s) car for an annual fee.
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation sells “Green Tags,” which support the production of renewable energy. Green Tags can also be given as gifts.
And while you're thinking about energy, check out our Winter Energy Saving Tips.