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Environmental Topic Du Jour: Carbon Offsets



Even if you're not sure exactly what these are yet, you've probably heard rumblings. Heck, even the Rolling Stones are getting into it with their carbon netural tour. The upshot is this: for every activity you undertake that spews noxious carbon dioxide into the air, you make up for it by contributing to companies which plant trees or generate solar or wind power. You usually calculate your environmental damage -- be it from your daily commute or your occasional vacation flights -- by metric tons of carbon, and pay accordingly. Prices range from five to twenty-five dollars a ton.

Some people are skeptical of these efforts, calling carbon offset purchases a sin tax. Why can't you just use less energy in the first place? That's a good point, but it doesn't hurt to support earth-friendly projects in the meantime. If the NRDC supports the carbon neutral movement, it gets my seal of approval. 
 

What can you do right now to help the environment? Drop a line to save some of nature's BioGems. 

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