The Best Carbon Offset Programs for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Climate change can be incredibly overwhelming when we think about how each activity we do has an impact. All products and energy consumers use have a carbon footprint.

With the shirt you just bought, there are greenhouse gas emissions associated with growing the fabric, transporting it and transforming it into a shirt.

However, there are ways to compensate for this. With carbon offsetting, you can put back that same quantity of carbon you emitted back into the ecosystem again, almost like a negative emission!

What is a carbon offset?

A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases made to compensate for emissions which have been made elsewhere.

This is mainly done by individuals or companies in the form of carbon offsetting projects to balance out their carbon footprints.

The projects are usually based in developing countries and involve projects ranging from tree planting drives, renewable energy production, to distributing clean energy stoves!

Through these projects, you could either offset your carbon footprint entirely or do it for just a specific activity, like taking a flight. 

Why is carbon offsetting important?

Discussions about the Paris agreement and countries needing to offset their emissions are being discussed widely today.

As an individual, it is important to be aware of the carbon footprint of your daily activities. It has been reported that taking a return flight generates more CO2 than citizens of some countries produce in a year.

To offset these CO2 emissions, you could invest in carbon offsetting projects which would then make your flight trip carbon neutral. 

Especially if you are part of a business or a company participating in regular travel, this could potentially be doing much harm to the Earth.

Many companies are now involved in carbon offsetting projects in the developing world and claim to be “carbon neutral”. There is even a carbon neutral certification.

What is the easiest way to offset your carbon emissions?

Currently, there are a few carbon offsetting companies and organisations around the world.

All you would need to do is visit their website and use their online tools to calculate your emissions.

You can then pay the offsetting company to purchase carbon credits offered by their emission reduction projects.

With some offsetting companies, you can also choose the project you want to be a part of to compensate for your emissions in other parts of the world by the same amount. After this process, you could also claim to be carbon neutral!

What is the average price of offsetting? 

Surprisingly, it can be relatively cheap to offset your carbon emissions. At present, the price varies from $3-5 to offset one metric ton of CO2 emitted.

If you invest in a carbon offsetting energy project, a single low energy light bulb that you help to install can save 250 kg of CO2 in a span of 6 years.

This is equivalent to the emissions compensated from a short flight! 

What should we be aware of when offsetting our carbon footprint?

• Choose projects that are trustworthy. There are a variety of projects to choose from such as reforestation projects, environmental projects, solar energy, and more. Be sure to do research on the organization you are supporting. Consider looking for third party certification or the history of specific projects they have worked on in the past as there have been some projects which seem a bit murky in terms of the real benefit, whether the project really does more harm to the planet in the long run.

• Misusing the carbon offsetting option. Just because you have the option of offsetting your emissions, it does not make sense to go back to a lifestyle of polluting the environment. For instance, it does not make much sense to fly around the world in a private jet and then compensate for it with carbon offset projects. We have to be conscious of how much carbon our actions create and keep in mind the overall environmental impact of our lifestyles such as energy consumption, water usage, and more. Focusing on reducing the use of resources is key.

The Best Carbon Offset Programs

Here are a few carbon offsetting programs to help kickstart your carbon offsetting journey.

While this is a great starting place, we encourage you to do your own research to find current projects or organizations that fit your values and you feel are trustworthy.

Carbonfund.org's Carbon Offsetting for All Lifestyles

Carbonfund.org makes it easier to offset your emissions by having pre-calculated offset amounts for lifestyle of singles, couples, a family of 4 etc. They also offer offsets for different types of vehicles, air travel, homes, and separate offsets to plant trees.

Their Carbonfree partner program also helps businesses to calculate, reduce and offset your carbon footprint.

With their easy to use business calculator, you can get a total of your business’ emissions from electric, heat, vehicle, air , rail, shipping and events. Carbonfund.org also allows consumers to gift carbon offsets which is a good way to educate your loved ones about their own carbon footprint.

Carbonfund.org supports third-party validated and verified renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects globally that reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the threat of climate change.

This website is a great option for individuals, families, or small businesses looking to learn more about their environmental footprint.

Native Helping Corporations Offset Carbon

Although you can calculate your individual emissions, Native mainly helps corporations to offset their carbon emissions. Native is a Certified B Corp and Public Benefit Corporation.

With the “Help Build” carbon offsets, you can donate money for a project in advance so there is enough money to kickstart the project. The payment options are in one-time, monthly, quarterly or annual payments.

You can also calculate and track your emissions with their software. A few projects Native has participated in include pioneering regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, and more.

Live Carbon Neutral with Treepoints

The carbon emissions at Treepoints is calculated with data from the World Bank, WWF and UC Berkley with which you can then support climate projects. Treepoints is a promising startup which you can join for as little as 3.25 pounds per month!

You can also embed their tree planting or carbon offsetting option into your business website which makes it automatically plant a tree with every sale you make.

They track the impact you make and you can also view collective progress. They are transparent with their service as the evidence of the impact you created is seen on their public ledger. 

Sustainable Travel Offset Your Vacation

Sustainable Travel works on making travel beneficial for people and for places around the world. One of the ways they do this is through carbon offsets. You can purchase carbon offset credits for the miles you travel which are then invested in carbon reduction projects.

This is especially important for long trips and more sustainable International travel.

The offset projects include forests and biodiversity, clean and efficient energy, reforestation efforts, coastal blue carbon and projects that benefit local communities.

For businesses, Sustainable Travel calculates the travel emissions from transport, lodging, construction, food, drink and shopping.

Calculate & Offset Your Carbon Footprint with MyClimate  

Based in Switzerland, MyClimate provides consulting services, education, and climate protection services.

They have a separate section to calculate your individual carbon footprint which is broader than the other carbon offsetting programs and includes food habits, shopping and leisure, living space, and public services.

Till now, they have created around 16,000 local jobs and offset 9.65 million tonnes of CO2 through MyClimate projects. 

Offsetting our carbon footprint is something we can do as individuals that has a positive impact.

During a time when the climate crisis can feel overwhelming, tracking our carbon footprint also helps us become more aware of the amount of carbon our lifestyles create and allow us to work towards emission reductions.

Hopefully this guide helped you understand a bit more about the importance of carbon offsetting and gave you a place to start your research.

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