« Reference eBooks through University library | Main | Blogging and the job search -- incompatable? »
July 08, 2005
TerraPass: clean up after your car...
I came across a short news item in this month's Wired magazine about a way to offset the carbon dioxide your car emits by funding projects that reduce industrial carbon dioxide emissions.
The project is called TerraPass. They create a way for individuals to help finance projects that reduce carbon dioxide by having members pay for the greenhouse gases they are producing by driving around in their car. In essence, TerraPass is allowing individuals to get in on the carbon emissions free market trading that was part of the Kyoto Protocol.
On their web site there is a calculator for estimating the amount of carbon dioxide generated per year for a given make and model of car and the average annual mileage. Our manual transmission Honda Civic emits about 5800 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. TerraPass estimates it can fund programs that prevent the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide from being emitted for about $30 a year.
They have four classes of memberships based on fuel efficiency: Hybrid, Efficient, Standard, and Performance (SUV). The Performance pass is the most expensive $80 a year and is off-setting about 20,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Members receive a bumper sticker and a window decal, presumably alerting the crazed person that is about to key your SUV (or bash it with a baseball bat) that "Yes, I am emitting greenhouse gases, but I'm paying for them!" (Of course, there's still the carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen compounds to worry about, among other things, that all petroleum-fueled cars emit...) All cynicism aside, I think it's a cool idea. And since my family still relies on the car quite a bit, I'm considering becoming a member.
TerraPass has made some interesting investments. They're divided into three categories:
· Clean energy -- including a wind farm in Dodge Center, Minnesota
· Industrial efficiency -- trading on the Chicago Climate Exchange
· Greenhouse gas -- bacterial digestion of manure on a California dairy farm to prevent methane emissions
Or they could just start paying bicycle commuters directly!
Posted by rigd0003 at July 8, 2005 10:11 AM | Environment | News
Comments
Good idea! Though I don't have a car now (and don't see me getting one soon), maybe I still need it to make up for the years that I did have one...
Posted by: allanimal at July 9, 2005 06:57 PM