Carbon Offsets

Now that you have an idea concerning your carbon weight for a specific activity, one tool to mitigate your actions is called a Carbon Offset. The idea is that you fund a project which decreases the carbon emissions in direct proportion to what you have consumed. In theory, it sounds great. The challenge is that this market is just starting to evolve. But there is an even better alternative, which I call Personal Carbon Offsets. So let's say that you need to offset a kilo of emissions. Why not just not buy another product or service equal to one kilo of emissions. Then take that money that you saved and pay yourself, putting it away for the future. First, it is much more efficient, since you just cut out the middleman. Second, it is the best offsets, since it is not an action to counter another action. In fact it is the absence of action. This is now starting to sound a bit zen. Third, you are paying yourself, so you get to keep the cash.

This sounds just way to simple. It will never fly.

How to Cut your Personal Carbon Emissions in Half

• Simple Goal: Save 50% of your income. Put is away for the future.

• Use an Allowance: Give everyone, I mean everyone, in the house an allowance. Here are the rules:

  • The person can do what they want with their allowance

  • Give gifts to each other out of your allowance

  • Personal stuff goes under the allowance.

• Something New, Lose Something Old: Before anything new can be purchased, something else must be gifted, donated or thrown alway.

• Create a monthly budget on a spreadsheet. Save receipts. Enter them into your budget, Throw the receipts alway.

• Dumpster Dive: don't buy something new, when you can reuse or recycle something old. Since you are not buying something new, then the Carbon Weight is zero. Trade with friends. Have neighborhood Garage Free days instead of Garage Sales days.

• Rent or barrow -  don't buy: You buy something, yes you have it right now, but now you have to store-it, fix-it, maintain-it. Rent or barrow what you need. For example, create a neighborhood tool shed. Share kitchen equiptment. Setup a car share program. Get creative.