Buying Piece of Mind

Seems like everyone is talking Carbon Offsets these days. Or, as I call them "A Green Living Strategy for People who don't want to do without their polluting ways."

Laurie David played down her private jet trips across the country by saying touting her "offsets" purchases.

The band Gomez operates a "carbon neutral" tour by buying offsets when they have to travel via modes outside of their biodiesel tour bus.

For those of you sitting in the dark right now, trying to limit your energy consumption - here's carbon offsetting in a nutshell:
You give money to groups/organizations who are implementing emission-reducing programs to make up for the pollution you are emitting. You pay for emission-reductions elsewhere instead of reducing your own actions. Hence my name ... "A Green Living Strategy for People who don't want to do without their polluting ways."

For example: Marc drives his Xterra to Cheyenne 3 times a week, which results in 17,255 lbs. of Co2 emitted into the atmosphere each year. Carbon Offsetting suggests Marc should buy a "Road Tripper TerraPass" for $79.95 (per year) to make up for his wasteful ways. According to TerraPass.com, "TerraPass funds clean energy from sources like wind farms, methane capture facilities, and more. By replacing energy from fossil fuels with clean energy, TerraPass reduces carbon dioxide emissions. These reductions balance the emissions from your car."

So, instead of suggesting Marc inconvenience himself to carpool more often, they just ask him to throw money at encouraging "other" people to use renewable resources. Maybe Marc should consider carpooling and taking that money he would spend on $3.50 / gallon gas to buy wind credits for his house. That way he would be reducing energy consumption in TWO places: gas in car and dirty coal-generated electricity at home.

I guess that's just too much work for us.