TreeHugger Picks: Carbon-Neutral Everything
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12. 4.06
As 2006's New Oxford American Dictionary’s Word of the Year, "carbon neutral" has been on the tip of many tongues this year, leading to many different and exciting things that won't contribute to our warming globe. Here are some of our picks of things that have gone carbon-free.
1) Books, from everything that comes from Ecotone Publishing to Worldchanging's new book, are zeroing their carbon emissions.
2) Sporting events, from last year's Olympics to both kinds of football (that's original and American) are setting new, carbon-related records.
3) Airplane flights, one of the biggest contributors to climate change, can now be made carbon-free.
4) Movies, from An Inconvenient Truth to Syriana and the independent film Sweet Land are entertaining us without emitting any net carbon.
5) Flower delivery from Organic Bouquet says "I love you" and "I love the planet."
Hi, my name is Lucy Spaull and I am currently involved in a project at university focusing on different groups of consumers, in particular, those who consider ethics and the environment when purchasing products. I have been encouraged by my tutors to look beyond websites and instead seek contact with companies to gather resources for research. I was hoping you may be able to help me out with some relevant information. I am interested in looking at consumers' recycling habits, choosing fairtrade and ethical labels over other brands, people installing new energy efficient products in their home and lifestyle etc. If you have any material that relates to any of these areas i would be grateful if you could forward it on to the address below.
Many Thanks,
Lucy
Miss Lucy Spaull
92 Stalker Lees Road
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
S11 8NL
I wonder if you have read the new report called "The Carbon Neutral Myth - Offset Indulgences for your Climate Sins" at carbontradewatch.com
They very clearly outline the fact that carbon offsets won't be effective for many years into the future whereas the carbon output is happening now!
Also, real reductions in carbon output require changes in lifestyle. Purchasing carbon offsets is a cop out. Also, they document that the percentage of donated money that is actually used for environmental change is a small percentage of the amount given.
If you want to be green you have to change the way you live. Don't follow the cop out of the celebrities who pollute like crazy and then soothe their guilt with a carbon offset purchase - indulgences indeed! It is hypocrisy and ineffective.
We need real change not a false soothing of guilt.
Ethical Consumer magazine produced a report on the carbon offsetting business. It's very critical of the whole business, and makes reference to the Carbon Neutral Myth. They advise just donating to a charity fighting climate change. The report also rates individual offset companies and digs some real dirt on some of the big names. You can download it from their website - its not free but Ethical Consumer is a not for profit doing good work so you'll be supporting a good cause:
https://www.ethiscore.org/magsubs/product.aspx?name=backissues