To Profit, Or Not To Profit, Join The Offsetting Debate

TerraPass, an American for-profit carbon offset provider, is no stranger to media attention. Last year we interviewed TerraPass co-founder Adam Stein here, and
its other co-founder Tom Arnold here.

Today, at Carbon Catalog, TerraPass takes on the challenge of defending its position as a for-profit carbon offset provider. Arnold talks a bit about the upcoming elections in America, the company’s money-back guarantee, and Ed Begley, Jr.

A fan of reading blogs for news and offsetting information, Arnold says his company is motivated both by profit and the mission of saving the environment: “TerraPass challenges the traditional assumption that you either work on a business that destroys the environment or work at a non profit to protect it,” says Arnold.

Armed with educational resources and a web presence like no other, TerraPass has a bold goal to build a world where as many people offset as recycle.

And does this world include both for-profit and not-for-profit carbon offset providers? “Yep, there’s room for both,” says Arnold, “Just like car sharing or childcare, a blend of for-profit and non-profit business models have flourished.”

Read the entire interview here.

Carbon Catalog (see TH interview with Gideon Greenspan here) is growing into a meaningful resource for people who are looking to purchase offsets online.

How much of your money goes to the actual projects? What’s the quality of the offset you are buying, compared to the price? The Carbon Catalog guide, with its handy ratings system, can help you sort through the mess.

Noteworthy, is that providers are constantly in touch with Carbon Catalog, making sure the information provided is up to date, and as much as possible, in their favor.

::Carbon Catalog