Where to Buy Carbon Offsets and Why You Should

As I started writing this post, I wondered why do we call them carbon offsets instead of greenhouse gas offsets?

Other than the fact carbon offset just sounds a lot better.

Carbon / Carbon Dioxide / CO2 is a greenhouse gas but it’s not the only greenhouse gas. It’s not even the most potent or strong greenhouse gas out there! But, it is the most prevalent one making up about 64% of the greenhouse gases released.

Greenhouse gasses trap heat in the atmosphere which is where we get the term “Global Warming.” Other greenhouse gases include Methane, CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons), Nitrous Oxide, and Fluorinated gasses.

Fluorinated gasses for instance only make up about 1% of the greenhouse gases emitted, but are some of the biggest problems because some of these gases can last for thousands of years. They can trap anywhere from a few hundred to 23,000 times more heat than the same amount of CO2! (source)

Fluorinated gases come from leaking coolants in fridges and air conditioners are ranked as the number one way to fight climate change in one of my favorite books Drawdown.

So, what does this have to with buying carbon offsets? Not, much other than I just think it’s interesting.

Back to offsets, for me, it comes back down to everything we do has an impact. There’s no one perfect choice to be made but rather a series of choices ranging from ok to good, better, and best.

Each choice you make has a GHG (greenhouse gas) price tag associated with it, and a you can calculate all of these GHG price tags from events, flights, or by year and figure out your carbon footprint.

how to calculate your carbon footprint:

The quiz at footprintcalculator.org is my favorite one. You can popover and plug-in the details of your life/last year and then it will calculate how high your carbon footprint is including how many Earth’s we’d need to survive if everyone lived like you.

Back when I lived in the tiny home, my carbon footprint was one earth. Which is great because we have one earth, but now that we moved to a slightly bigger place Justin and are at about 1.3 earths.

It can feel a little discouraging when you feel like you’re doing a really good job, but still can’t get seem to reach that one earth goal.

But, I don’t want you to be discouraged! Having that knowledge is good so you can improve certain aspects of your life.

And, sometimes these things just aren’t avoidable depending on where you are in life. My husband commutes to work. He uses public transit, which is a better option, but it still doesn’t erase his carbon footprint - it’s still there.

Thankfully, this is where carbon offsets come into play.

what are carbon offsets:

I kind of want to start calling them GHG offsets, but I digress. Carbon offsets are a way to offset your carbon footprint.

Of course, the number one goal should be to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions we’re responsible for and then offset what’s leftover.

This is a way of neutralizing your footprint by supporting organizations and projects that will remove (insert your desired amount) of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.

It’s kind of like going into a ceramic store and smashing one of the ceramic cups. Yeah, you probably shouldn’t have done it, but as long as you pay for it you’re even.

what to look for when buying carbon offsets:

Carbon offset programs have often been criticized for being scams.

While you can certainly buy into a scam, I’m going to help you know what you should be looking for to avoid being scammed AND give you some of my recommendations for getting your offset on!

There’s transparency:

You know your gut reactions? Trust them. Typically a company that is doing good is transparent. You should be able to easily get the information that you’re looking for on a website.

They’re certified:

Check out Green-E which helps individuals figure out which offsetting programs are reliable, and The Climate Action Reserve which sets standards, rules, and protocols for offsetting projects.

The seller can prove it’s real:

Let’s say that you want to fund a project to support a landowner in the rainforest. The landowner will receive monetary compensation for leaving his trees standing tall.

The seller should be able to prove that this scenario is real. That there is a landowner in the rainforest who’s agreed to this and that it’s not some future hypothetical situation. Make sure that the person/group/organization they’re working with actually exists - right now.

It’s verified and enforceable:

A third party should be able to verify what’s being said is actually true. A third party should be able to head to the landowner’s area to check on the trees and make sure it’s all going according to plan. If it’s not going to plan, then the third party can penalize the landowner.

It’s a permanent solution:

The third party also needs to verify that the solution is mostly permanent. (obviously sometimes a natural disaster might strike which is out of anyone’s control) But, on the whole it’s important to make sure the project is one that’s going to last.

For instance, if you choose to plant trees as part of your carbon offsetting program, (one I tend to select) it takes a tree 40 years to reach maturity and absorb 1 ton of carbon. If you’re planting trees in a forest that’s going to be cut down 10 years later, then it’s not an efficient carbon offset.

The offset must be additional:

What if the landowner never had any intention of cutting down his trees? Did you actually offset anything or just make a donation/gift to the landowner?

Beyond that is leakage. So, let’s say the landowner refuses to cut down his trees and passes on a deal with a logging company. If the logging company buys the plot of land next door, then your dollars shifted the deforestation rather than preventing it which is called leakage.

where to buy you carbon offsets:

1. reformation:

This cool girl brand has been carbon neutral since 2015. They’ve partnered with Native Energy, which is focused on renewable energy projects, to bring carbon offsets straight to their e-commerce platform which I think is AMAZING.

Next time you’re shopping for a sustainable party dress you can offset your flight, year, or your zero waste wedding!

Check out their Carbon is Cancelled Campaign. They’ll even give you $100 in store credit if you switch your bill to wind energy.

2. conservation fund:

The Conservation Fund has been in business since 1985 and they have a very robust website with lots of different projects to choose from.

They have saved more than 8 million acres of land and water in all 50 states, and every dollar invested in their Revolving Fund goes directly to protecting land, over and over. By recycling these dollars, they have saved lands valued at more than $6.3 billion.

3. terrapass:

Terrapass works with several different types of projects across America. They work with farms to make the best use of animal waste, help create solar farms, and installing methane capture in landfills.

You can head to their project lists to find a project near you.

4. cool effect:

I’ve copied and pasted a section from their about page. Notice any of the verbiage?

“Every international carbon standard requires a project to provide and prove measurements based on peer-approved scientific methodologies.

“This documentation is reviewed by two independent Technical Advisory Committees. Cool Effect verifies, once more, the work of these Committees as well as validates the financial durability of the project.

This process guarantees projects that are scientifically and financially strong and ethically sound.

“It also guarantees that our projects are 100% additional—which means that the reduction in carbon emissions would not have happened under any other circumstances.”

5. arbor day foundation:

This is where I typically purchase my offsets.

I also like that they have a selection of cards you can buy and each one plants a tree! I like that I can pick out out which forest to plant them in. I especially like that they have a section for the forests that were damaged in the wildfires in California. Yay for helping my state!

6. us forest service

You can also go really old school and write a check and send it to the US Forest Service. While this isn’t technically an offset package, you’re still offsetting because you’re planting trees. They will be planted in protected areas so you know they’ll reach maturity!

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I really hope that you’ve found this blog post helpful. I would love to know if you’ve offset your carbon footprint and what program you chose for it?

5 Ways for You to Join the Sharing Economy

Remember when your parents used to tell you to share? Share your toys with your friends. Share the remote with your brother. Share your clothes with your sister.  Share, share, share….

I remember being asked to share a lot with those around me, and it must have stuck because I opened an underground dress library in college.

That sounds way cooler than it was, but basically just boiled down to me having A LOT of dresses.

This post was sponsored by Bunz. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Like a lot. Over 200. I got into this bad habit of picking up dresses when they were on sale because at the time I was dating someone with a high profile job. We’d go to a lot of semi-formal and formal dinners, events, banquets, galas, etc. etc. etc. And, I thought you had to have a new dress for every occasion.

Silly me. You don’t. (I could have saved past me a lot of money with that knowledge.)

But, I would always pick up out of season dresses very cheap, typically on the final sale rack. Often these dresses were damaged or stained in some way, but since I majored in theatre, I had access to the costume department where I could alter, stitch, and fix most problems the dresses had.

I was in a sorority AND part of the music department. Sororities and music departments also have a lot of semi-formal events. So, instead of hoarding all of my dresses, I opened up a dress library.

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A post shared by Kathryn Kellogg (@going.zero.waste) on Mar 5, 2019 at 9:08am PST

People could come to my dorm room and check out dresses for their performing arts class (a once a week class that’s like a cabaret where you sing once a semester and attend to listen to your fellow music students), parties, banquets, you name it.

I was basically the original Rent the Runway, except free and all you had to do was clean the dress before you brought it back.

This is a prime example of the sharing economy.

It’s based in community, connection, and sharing resources.

So, instead of running out and buying anything NEW every time you need something, you borrow it from a friend or now, thanks to technology, a stranger.

what is the sharing economy?

According to Investopedia, “The sharing economy is an economic model often defined as a peer-to-peer (P2P) based activity of acquiring, providing or sharing access to goods and services that are facilitated by a community based online platform.”

how does this relate to the environment?

I’m so glad you asked! We have talked a lot about buying less, waiting 30 days before making a purchase, and making sure you only bring something truly valuable into your home.

But, we haven’t talked a lot about sharing. The secondhand market and sharing are closely intertwined for me because both of them focus on using resources that are already in the waste stream.

We currently live in a linear economy which means we take resources from the planet, turn them into products, and then once we’re done with them we dump them into a giant hole in the ground where they’ll live forever. Doesn’t make much sense right?

Living a zero waste lifestyle is about moving to a circular economy where our resources can be used over and over and over again. To learn more about the circular economy check out the post What is Zero Waste? What is the Circular Economy?

While most of the circular economy hinges on design and corporate responsibility, there are still ways we can perpetuate that in our day to day lives like sharing and shopping secondhand.

how do I join the party?

1. Bunz

Sharing, swapping, and giving just got a whole lot easier with Bunz.

Bunz has found a way to streamline and ORGANIZE your local buy nothing group. It’s a platform designed to trade and swap so you can search for the item you’re looking for and set a proximity range!

The Bunz app is totally free. Meaning it doesn’t cost to download, but also there’s no money exchanged in the trades.

I’ve heard of several people swapping out things they don’t need like a pair of boots for a case or beer. Now, that sounds like my kind of trade.

What happens if you have something to give, but don’t need anything in return? Or maybe you need an item, but they’re not interested in what you have to trade?

To combat that situation Bunz created a digital currency called BTZ (pronounced bits) which can be traded in for things or can be used at cafes and stores.

If you’re in Toronto, which is Bunz central station, you have a ton of options like bars, coffee shops, tattoo parlors, restaurants, nail salons, the list goes on.

Thankfully, Bunz is expanding cause this sounds awesome. The app can be used anywhere so you can declutter those items that don’t spark joy, and hopefully, trade it for a few things that DO SPARK JOY!

If this sounds totally up your alley, you can download the Bunz app and get your friends, family, and neighbors to join.

This, of course, will help expand the pool of who you trade with, but will hopefully encourage others to adopt a new sustainable hobby in their life.

Here are a few ways you can encourage people in your neighborhood to join:

• Tell your friends and fam!

• Post about it on Facebook or Instagram

• Talk to your local zero waste group about it and ask them to share it with their friends. Check out my blog post on Finding a Local Zero Waste Group.

• If you’re a member of a buy nothing group, share the app with them which will help organize they group way better than on Facebook.

• Do you have a neighborhood app like NextDoor? If so, create a post sharing the app.

• Don’t forget to be a trailblazer and list a few cool things for trade in your area to get everyone started!

• I’m most excited to use this app to trade figs and apples from my trees in the backyard. I would love to swap a whole bunch of fresh figs for wine or tea!

2. library card:

A library is probably the first interaction we ever had with the sharing economy. You check out books, read them, and then bring them back.

To join costs absolutely nothing, and you only get penalized for not holding up your end of the bargain AKA bringing them back on time.

Now, there are all sorts of libraries starting to pop up like toy libraries, tool libraries, library of things, and even underground dress libraries.

So, you can check out tools for weekend home reno project, toys for your kids, or check out camping gear for your upcoming trip. This is SO smart, because most of these things we don’t need to own, we can just borrow them for a short period.

Unfortunately, the underground dress library is closed.

3. bike programs:

Another eco-friendly program in the sharing economy is bike sharing!

Maybe you’ve seen a row of bikes parked in your downtown area? Those bikes are available for anyone to ride for a short time. The programs can be free or involve a small fee, but you can take the bike from its dock and then ride it to another dock and drop it off.

Some systems are dockless, or what I like to call free-range bikes. You can take them for a ride, and then drop them off anywhere.

4. food scraps:

Technology really is making sharing cool. While I’m sure you could offer up your food scraps and compost bin on Bunz , there’s also an app specifically designed for taking and accepting food waste. If you’re in an apartment and struggling to compost check out my blog post Composting in Apartments and check out ShareWaste.

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A post shared by Kathryn Kellogg (@going.zero.waste) on Oct 3, 2018 at 7:33am PDT

5. knowledge:

This one is a little out of the box, but stay with me… instead of sharing things, it’s sharing knowledge.  

I love learning. I think that’s pretty obvious thanks to lots of well-researched posts on this blog.

But if you love learning, and would like to take a class or two to keep your brain sharp, but don’t want to go back to school - check out edX. You can audit free courses from universities like Harvard, Brown, Princeton, Berkeley, Berklee and more.

Most of the classes are free, and I just signed up to take one on the circular economy!

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and will jump into the sharing economy. This was just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many ways to start sharing with your community, which is honestly one of the most radical things you can do in today’s society.

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Did you know loneliness is the second biggest killer in the world? The first is air pollution. You can help tackle both by getting in on the sharing economy because you’re creating connection and reducing the overall amount of resources you consume!

Don’t forget to download the Bunz App , and I would love to know if you’ve ever used it! ESP if you’re from Toronto, I would love to know the coolest thing you’ve traded your BTZ in for?

10 Ways to Be a Zero Waste Activist in Your Town

Want to make a difference in your community? Becoming a zero waste activist is the way to go! While individual actions matter, they are more impactful on a larger scale.

In other words, the more people you can spread the zero waste message to, the better. After all, when people join together, there’s nothing we can’t do.

1. join a community garden:

So many people are disconnected from where their food comes from. Growing your own teaches you the true value of food, and that it’s not meant to come to us packaged in plastic.

Real food is completely package free, just the way mother nature intended.

Offer your time to help support a garden in your neighborhood.

You’ll get to meet all sorts of people there, and possibly strike up a conversation about zero waste living at some point.

Here are some reasons to help support a local community garden:

• Increase access to fresh foods, thus improving food security.

• Improve air and soil quality over time.

• Improve dietary habits through education, upping fruit and vegetable intake.

• Increase biodiversity of plants and animals in your local community.

• Reduce neighborhood waste through composting.

• Reduce “food miles” that require your food to travel longer distances to reach you.

• Create a sense of community, thus improving mental health and promoting relaxation.

• Support your local economy.

Not sure if your community has a garden? Perhaps consider starting your own community garden!

2. host a zero waste workshop:

One of the best ways to get involved and spread the zero waste message is to host a workshop. You can cover so much ground in the span of an hour.

Reach out to your local library and see if they’d be interested in setting up a workshop with you. You can typically find out who to contact by walking in and asking someone who’s responsible for setting up all the library events.

Also, some businesses who align with your values may be interested in hosting your workshop as well. You can contact them via email and talk about what you’d like to accomplish together.

The idea is to spread the zero waste message in a fun, immersive way that gets people interested.

Here are a few zero waste workshop ideas you should consider running:

• DIY deodorant: Simple and fairly cheap to make, this is the perfect DIY to make for a first-time workshop.

• Zero waste lotion: This is a little more tricky and requires more ingredients, so it’ll be pricier to make. Still a fun DIY though, perfect for winter workshops.

• DIY Cleaner: Super simple, and very easy to make. Great for spring, when people get into the whole ‘spring cleaning’ mood.

• Zero waste lip balm: More complex to make. You’ll have to heat up beeswax, or vegan wax, so make sure your location is suited for this.

• DIY body scrub: Simple to make and fun to customize. If you host your workshop at a café, see if they’ll donate coffee grounds to be the base of your body scrub!

Begin every workshop by introducing yourself, explaining what zero waste is, why it’s important, and how it relates to your workshop today.

Then, show them how to make the DIY of your choice! Depending on the kind of DIY you make, leave anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes for participants to make their product.

3. reach out to local companies about plastic use:

Is there a restaurant you love going to but avoid because they use plastic utensils? Or perhaps your mall’s food court is full of wasteful Styrofoam containers? Reach out to these companies about their plastic use!

You can do this by sending the company a letter via email.

Make sure to begin the letter by stating what you like about them. You always want to start on a positive note (Ex: I love coming here for lunch and ordering your veggie wrap!).

Next, let them know what the problem is. Do they use too many plastic utensils?

Automatically put a straw into your drink? Use disposable plates? Let them know and back it up with facts as to why this concerns you (Ex: Americans go through 500 million straws every day).

Last but not least, conclude by offering some possible solutions or suggestions. Make it obvious you’d be willing to help them brainstorm sustainable solutions too.

Keep your letter as short and to the point as possible. Be sure to follow up if they don’t respond in a week or so.

Of course, you can also try calling or walking into the store, asking for their manager. If you do this, keep your tone as friendly as possible so the conversation doesn’t take a negative turn.

Related: How to Address Businesses About Their Packaging

4. host or join a neighborhood cleanup:

Is there litter all over the place in your neighborhood? Clean it up!

Often times, litter left unattended will find their way into our water systems and pollute them even more. Worse yet, any litter (in the ocean or on the ground) can be eaten by animals.

This causes them to die a slow, painful death of starvation.

Getting a group together to pick up trash around the neighborhood is a great way to combat this problem.

You can enlist friends and family, but definitely extend the invite to other people as well. It would be fantastic to get as many people in your community involved as possible.

Find a designated area you’d like to clean and plan at least two or three months in advance to get things done.

You’ll definitely need supplies to get the cleanup done, so make sure to think ahead. You’ll also want to think about where all the trash will go when you’re done cleaning it up.

Call your local waste management facility and see if you can organize a free pick up.

To spread the word about your cleanup, use social media to help!

Post it all over Facebook and Instagram. You can also ask your local newspaper to cover the event: This’ll surely get more participants who are eager to help.

Related: How to Host a Community Cleanup

5. get political:

The best way to create change is to change the system. I urge you to vote for people who are looking to protect the environment as much as you.

This doesn’t just mean voting in the big elections, it also means voting in local elections too.

Be sure to stay on top of the people who are running your own state, as these are the people who will directly influence your local environment the most.

Aside from voting, there are several other ways to get involved with local government.

I suggest finding city hall and attending meetings, checking out your local .gov website, and finding a board (or commission) to share your ideas with.

Perhaps you want to ban plastic straws in your city? Or you want to start up more community gardens?

Finding the right people to contact and going to them with a plan is always a good idea.

Related: How to Care for the Environment Under a Trump Presidency

6. go to a town hall meeting:

As I mentioned earlier, going to a town hall meeting is a great idea. Why? Because you get to see and hear the current problems specific to your local community. Plus, you can bring up a problem you yourself see.

You may even be able to speak at a town hall meeting as a guest speaker, informing your fellow citizens about zero waste living.

You can use it as an opportunity to educate them about what zero waste living is, how you incorporate it into your life, and how they can too. Of course, you’ll have to obtain permission to do this from someone at city hall first.

7. organize a zero waste meetup:

It’s so important to have a support group filled with like-minded people. While online community is great, it cannot compare to real life support groups.

If you want to gather people in your neighborhood to talk all things zero waste, consider organizing a meetup.

Just pick a place to meet (a local café works well), choose a date and time, and broadcast it on social media. You’ll be surprised at who expresses interest!

If you’d like to make it even more local, try creating a Facebook group for people in your community who are interested in zero waste living. When you want to organize a zero waste meetup, let them know and see what dates and times work best for them.

Your meetup doesn’t have to be anything fancy: Just keep things casual. You can use it as a time to hang out, get to know your followers, socialize and talk trash (literally).

Ask them why they’re interested in zero waste, areas they’d like to improve in, etc. Let the conversation flow and just be yourself.

8. start a petition:

Is there a particular problem in your neighborhood that has you fired up? Start a petition! It’s so easy to start one nowadays with the help of technology. You can choose to do one online, in person, or a mix of both.

Here are some general guidelines to follow in order to create a petition:

• Think local and focus on an issue that matters to your community.

• Make sure the petition preamble is short and sweet, to the point.

• Make sure the petition has clear logic, solid facts backed by research and a sound argument.

• Begin the petition statement with a phrase like “we the undersigned...”

• Lay out your concerns as clearly and concisely as possible.

• Make specific, focused requests in your petition text that will create the change you seek.

• Include photos and videos where appropriate to get more traction.

• Reach out to the media and talk to the press about your petition to really get attention.

A good overall idea is to combine your online campaign with a paper campaign. Be sure to synchronize your signature lists. This will help you bring your petition to events that align with your views so people can sign on the spot.

9. Volunteer or donate to a local food pantry or soup kitchen:

Food waste is a huge problem in this country: In America alone, 40 percent of all food is wasted. With so many people starving in this world, it’s just not fair. The irony is that we have enough food to feed everyone. Unfortunately, for all sorts of reasons, this food doesn’t make it to those in need.

Volunteering at a local food pantry or soup kitchen will certainly make a difference. It’s a great way to give back to your community and also outwardly oppose food waste.

A food pantry is where people can go and receive food for the month to make at home, whereas a soup kitchen provides meals to people in need on the spot.

If you don’t have the time to actively spend volunteering, consider donating food to a food bank. Feeding America makes locating a local food bank near you easy (just type in your zip code and you’re good to go).

If you garden and have surplus fruits and vegetables, consider donating them to a local food pantry. Ample Harvest makes it easy to find food pantries accepting fresh produce in your area.  

10. start up a zero waste group in your neighborhood:

Individual action is great, but together, we can truly make an impact. Starting a zero waste group is a great way to branch out into the community and get others interested. Together, there’s a lot you can accomplish!

To create your own local zero waste group, start out by building a presence online. Target people specifically in your area. This is fairly easy to do on Instagram: You can add the location of your posts to reach local people near you. You can also add a location to your Instagram stories.

Another way to gather people online is through Facebook groups. You can create a group on Facebook dedicated to zero waste in your area.

Just title it “Zero Waste (Your City/Town) Group” so it’s easy for people to find and locate. You can also easily create events on Facebook to share with your group members.

Once you have a sufficient online presence, organizing a zero waste meetup (like I suggested earlier) is a great idea.

Then, after getting to know your local zero wasters, you can lead a workshop (also talked about earlier) your group will enjoy. Doing all this within the span of a few months will help really solidify your group and bring you closer to each other.

Once you’ve got a zero waste group going you’re proud of, you can utilize it to create a lot of change!

Together, organize co-hosted events, grab a table at a festival, or get involved in local government to make a change. The possibilities are endless!

Related: How to Find a Local Zero Waste Community

What are some ways you like to be a zero waste activist?

Guest Post: Ariana Palmieri is the founder of Greenify-Me.com, a blog dedicated to zero waste living and sustainability. Her work has been featured on MindBodyGreen, Green Matters, The Penny Hoarder and several other publications. Get her free e-book "10 Ways to Reduce Trash" by signing up to her newsletter and learn how to reduce your waste today.