Offsetting your (electricity related) carbon footprint
Posted by Kelly Smith on Mon, Mar 29, 2010
Using green power is one of the most important ways that we can positively impact our environment and alleviate the effects of climate change. A great way to reduce your carbon footprint (your individual impact on the planet as measured by your usage of fossil fuels) is to opt for green power. What is green power? It is basically electricity that is generated from clean, renewable sources, such as wind, solar or geothermal. Homes and businesses can either install their own green electricity sources, such as solar panels, or they can purchase Renewable Energy Credits.
Purchasing Renewable Energy Credits is a very easy way to counteract some or all of your fossil fuel usage from electricity consumption, at home or at work. The concept is simple. A company such as EcoElectrons will inject green electricity on behalf of businesses and/or consumers into the power grid through partnerships it has with companies that own wind farms and solar farms. Companies like EcoElectrons help people reduce their environmental impact by allowing them to offset their energy use through Renewable Energy Credits. Each Renewable Energy Credit purchased is the equivalent of reducing (or offsetting) conventional electricity usage by one megawatt-hour.
Companies can improve their sustainability as well as their attractiveness to an environmentally conscious consumer base by opting for green power. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a Green Power Partnership program for businesses and organizations to encourage the use of clean electricity. Some of the companies that participate in this EPA program include Intel, Kohl's, Great River Organic Milling, Whole Foods Market, Johnson & Johnson, Codero, Walmart, and Office Depot. Some companies only use green power for a small percentage of their annual electricity usage while other companies choose to offset 100% of their electricity.
It has never been easier for individuals and companies to go green with the ready availability of such green power and related carbon offset programs. Carbon offsets and green power (or Renewable Energy Credits) is slightly different. See our FAQ for more info. Of course, all providers of green power and carbon offsets are different. So be sure to research your choices to find the company that invests most effectively in a healthy planet.