TransNeutral: Greenhouse Gas Neutral Commercial Shipping
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.12.06
Commercial shipping helps the world go 'round, helping commodities and products go from here to there. Even though we prefer to shop and buy locally, it's darn near impossible to do with everything, so large-scale, commercial shipping will continue to occur; happily, thanks to a partnership between DriveNeutral and TransGroup Worldwide Logistics, shipping no longer has to leave a carbon footprint in its wake. TransNeutral, the industry's first 100% greenhouse gas-neutral logistics solution, is a not-for-profit, opt-in program that enables TransGroup's customers to neutralize their shipments with a nominal contribution for every pound they ship -- less that 1/7 of a cent per pound on domestic shipments in the US. TransNeutral uses a weight-based calculation to determine the amount of climate-effecting greenhouse gases (GHGs) that a shipment emits; and then offsets those GHGs by contributing to GHG Emission Reduction programs involving reforestation, renewable energy and biofuel related farm projects. The projects TransNeutral contributes to are all listed on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), so they're closely reviewed and regularly audited before TransNeutral buys any credits. Get more details at TransNeutral's FAQ, learn more about them here and read our interview with Jason Smith, DriveNeutral's CEO here. ::TransNeutral and ::DriveNeutral
This is a great start, and it seems to be quite affordable. As we all realize, reducing CO2 emissions must come before offsetting them.
While I applaud TransGroup Worldwide for offering this offset program, I also want to know if they are taking initiatives to reduce their own emissions of CO2 directly -- eg, by switching to biodiesel fuel for trucks, or upgrading fuel efficiency in their fleet. That should really be Step 1, with carbon offsets being Step 2.