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Absolution for Your Pollution
Oct 09 2007 by Sara Lacey
10/9/2007
Will Terrapass Help Make Green the New Gold?
Waiting in the drive-thru the other day, I saw a car with a bumper sticker that read, “This car’s CO2 balanced by Terrapass.” Of course I looked up the website when I got home — I mean, all I have to do to reduce my car’s icky emissions is apply a bumper sticker to the back window? Sign me up!
As it turns out, Terrapass is a funding program, not a miracle cure-all ointment, tablet or elixir for all our air-pollution ills. Basically, for a certain amount of money per year you can sponsor a “clean energy project that balances out the environmental impact of your driving,” according to http://www.terrapass.com. Go to the website and put in your car’s make, model and year, then let them know how much you drive each year. Some big brain in the computer then calculates how much CO2 your car emits and recommends an appropriate funding amount to offset it.
I have a 2006 Nissan Murano that I drive about 10,000 miles per year. Based on that, Terrapass tells me that $49.95 from me will help fund projects to make up for my carbon dioxide transgressions — vehicular absolution, if you will. Terrapasses start at $29.95 for those with cars that are more fuel efficient and/or those that are driven less often. You can also do this if you fly a lot and want to offset those emissions.
I can’t help but be skeptical about this; I have a mental picture of some slimy salesperson taking my money and spending it on something decidedly unfriendly to the environment, like cigarettes and Mad Dog 20/20. As it turns out, though, Terrapass is audited by “the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions,” which verifies the impact of Terrapass and its clean-energy solutions. Plus, there’s also a money-back guarantee, and nothing makes you feel better than a money-back guarantee, right? Seriously, Terrapass appears to be on the up-and-up, and it strikes me as an interesting way to make us feel better about our current environmental situation.
This did, however, get me thinking about something else. I can’t help but wonder if green is the new gold. Maybe we’ll start experiencing a “Green Rush” in the months and years to come. My guess is that things like Terrapass, recycling and hybrid vehicles are just the tip of the iceberg. It will be interesting to see what follows. Stay tuned, dear readers, and let us know if you see any compelling new “green” products.
User Comments
Thanks for the information! I think I may have some more information as well coming down the pike. I just realized that I used an iceberg analogy in my piece above. Hopefully that metaphor will still be accurate in the years to come…
Hi. I work with Carbonfund.org. Our mantra here is “Reduce what you can, Offset what you can’t.” Thanks for the comments and feel free to get in touch if you have ever have any questions!
Hi Steve,
Check out my entry on VW and Carbonfund.org here:
http://www.motherproof.com/2007/11/vw-gets-into-ca.html
There are actually a number of organizations that provide carbon offsets, including carbonfund.org, which is a non-profit organization and also is audited and verified. For a comparison of different offsetting organizations, visit http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/carbon_offset_wind_credits_carbon_reduction.htm