Large-scale events, cycles and processes can be best grasped through graphs, flow-charts and maps. If you’re resourceful, you can even use software that helps you generate your own.
At Carbon Catalog, we’ve added a feature from Google maps that lets our readers pinpoint the location of the offset project – many of which are in far-flung locations (see right of projects’ listing). Read More »
It’s been 6 months since Carbon Catalog was launched, and 3 months since the first blog post. It’s time to talk about some recent updates to the site as well as future directions.
The most popular page on Carbon Catalog is the list of offset providers. This lets you compare and contrast 74 (and growing!) offset providers at a glance. The list includes location, pricing and our own check-based rating. Based on feedback received, two recent improvements have been made:
- When you mouse over the check marks in the ‘Criteria’ column, a pop-up box appears explaining the checks in detail. No more guessing the meaning of each tick!
- Currency conversions now let you compare pricing across different continents. With help from the good folk at the European Central Bank, the rates are updated daily. New links at the bottom of the provider list let you view prices in your chosen currency.
Beyond these minor interface changes, the biggest challenge of running Carbon Catalog is keeping the content updated. Read More »
February 27, 2008 – 1:30 am
 In our last post on the topic, we talked about CO2e being a handy unit of currency – one which we can use to make sense of the different kinds of greenhouses gases and their effects.
Even though CO2e may be closer to an estimate than “exact change,” it gives offset providers (and projects) the ability to roughly quantify the impact of a carbon offset project.
We already know that not all greenhouse gases are created equal. And it might be strange to learn that sometimes offset projects create CO2 emissions in order to offset carbon. Are you scratching your head?
Think of it as the lesser of two evils. Take methane gas flaring projects, for example.
Reducing methane (CH4) gas from seeping into the atmosphere may have a bigger overall impact on slowing down global warming, even if carbon dioxide is produced in the process. Read More »
February 22, 2008 – 4:54 am
Remember back in the old days when companies started labeling products with ‘made from recycled materials’ logos? People bought into it because it made a lot of sense to buy things like paper and plastics from recycled sources. The concept caught on like wildfire and started driving a whole new area in consumer marketing.
Now in the UK, product labeling has taken an entirely new direction, and Brits will soon get to know the carbon footprint of a popular beer brand too, reports The Guardian.
An innocuous brand of potato chips (or crisps if you’re a Brit) called Walkers have started labeling its carbon impact. It turns out that a 34.5g bag of Walkers chips (the cheese and onion flavor) costs the environment twice its weight (75g) in CO2e to produce. (Read on because we’re going to tell you how little it will cost to offset that.) Read More »
February 21, 2008 – 7:25 am
This week, the UK government finally released its Code of Best Practice for carbon offsetting. Actually, it’s just a draft, and even that took a year of debate and consultations. That’s what happens when government tries to get its head around controversy, confusion, and more than a few vested interests.
You can read the full document here (PDF). Here’s our summary of the most interesting tidbits: Read More »
February 15, 2008 – 3:53 am
We’ve spoken with non-profit offset providers from Switzerland, the UK, and the US in recent weeks. Carbon Catablog’s is on a mission to understand the voluntary carbon offset market from the POV of the non-profit provider. We’re slowly, but surely getting there.
The Swiss-based myclimate says through its non-profit status “trust and credibility is higher if you do this to make a real contribution to climate protection and not to increase your own wealth.”
CarbonFund from the US says, “we want to make every effort to keep our eye on the ball – and that means fighting global warming.”
And lastly UK’s PURE rationalizes its non-profit status, “PURE originated because of a pent-up demand from individuals and companies that wanted to voluntarily buy/cancel small volumes of Kyoto quality CER credits for offsetting purposes and were frustrated that they could not access the compliance market.”
Today we meet with Ruy Korscha Anaya de la Rosa, project manager of Goodplanet/Action Carbone. The website’s slogan sounds appropriately French: “Calculate, reduce and offset your CO2 emissions, clic here.”
We like Ruy’s answer when asked about the future of carbon offset providers. Does he see non-profits being competitive in the long-term? He replies: “Contrary to most of the carbon players and critics, [I] do not see the offsetting environment as a competition.
“All the carbon market participants are fighting for the same cause: to cool down our planet. We must not forget that we are dealing with global warming in here!”
Read on for the full interview. Read More »
February 7, 2008 – 4:12 am
 Over the past few weeks Carbon Catablog has been talking to providers in the voluntary market, working under the non-profit designation.
We’ve featured Russell from CarbonFund in the US: “Being a nonprofit allows us to focus solely on our mission: reduce greenhouse gases, fighting global warming, hastening the transition to a clean energy future;” and Phil from PURE in the UK, “PURE deliberately does not own carbon credits (or projects) as we think that is a potential conflict of interest…”
Making our way around the globe, the next stop is Switzerland’s myclimate. They advertise, “A good reason to choose myclimate: in a study by Tufts University myclimate is rated amongst four carbon offset providers worldwide that are recommended without any reservations.”
Today we meet with Kathrin Dellantonio, from sales and marketing at myclimate. Here’s what she has to say:
Carbon Catablog: As a non-profit, what tax advantages can you bring to (a) individuals, and (b) businesses which purchase offsets through you?
Kathrin Dellantonio: We are a non-profit foundation in Switzerland, therefore tax deduction is possible here. At the moment we are trying to get this status also in Germany and the UK. Read More »
February 6, 2008 – 11:31 am
It seems like an oxymoron: a green credit card. The more you buy, the more carbon you can offset. But that’s what set to happen now in the U.S. with the roll-out of a number of ‘green’ cards promising to offset a percentage of every dollar you spend.
Does that mean buying a Hummer on credit is a good thing for the earth? Or doing all your holiday shopping on plastic is a positive step towards stopping global warming? Eco-hip people already know that leaving the credit card at home, is the best thing for the earth.
Handing over real cash is harder, making people less likely to indulge in spontaneous purchasing. But shopping on credit is big business for the banks. According to a recent story we read in the WSJ, green cards are the newest way banks are appealing to their customers. Read More »
February 1, 2008 – 5:00 am
Before the Euro was introduced almost 10 years ago, European travelers and businesspeople alike were stuck with pockets and plastic baggies full of change. There were two kinds of francs, kroners, lire, guilders … each with their own fluctuating value.
We found all that switching back and forth as we crossed borders, not only confusing, but totally wasteful in terms of energy spent exchanging money and trying to figure out the value of something. If a CD in Switzerland cost 20 Swiss francs, and the same CD in France cost 140 francs, which was the better deal?
Thankfully, the powers that be decided to create a unit of currency, the Euro, so that an apple in Spain will cost about the same as an apple in Holland. The ultimate aim was that people could trade, work and shop between borders more fluidly.
When it comes to calculating the “value” of a greenhouse gas offset, the decision makers – economists and scientists – needed a sort of “Euro.” But in the case of greenhouse gases, it would be extra complicated to find a common currency, because comparing methane gas to carbon dioxide, isn’t like comparing apples to oranges. Read More »
January 28, 2008 – 6:09 am
We’ve all seen Al Gore’s film on climate change, right? We talk about global warming, as though we’re part of a UN committee on climate change. We even find ourselves lecturing about the hazards of greenhouse gases, without really remembering all of their names.
(Confess, it’s happened to you, right?)
Knowing your gases, can put you in the know when discussing the impact of each gas on climate change. But knowing your greenhouse gases can also help you immensely when selecting a carbon offset provider. Read More »
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