How YOU Can Become Carbon Neutral.

The ideas behind buildings being carbon neutral was presented to us last class. I searched carbon neutral on google and found a site that told you how a person can be carbon neutral. No one can ever net a zero carbon level, but the idea is to strive to it.

“1) The first and most important step is to reduce your emissions as much as possible – for example, by switching off the lights when not in use, turning down the thermostat, driving less, taking vacations closer to home so you don’t need to fly as much, etc. See the ‘Resources’ section for tips to reduce your energy use. Each tonne of emissions that you reduce means one fewer tonne you need to buy offsets to neutralize.

2) Choose which remaining emissions you wish to offset. For example, you might want to start with just your air travel, or an event you are organizing such as a wedding. Or you may choose to offset all of your major sources of emissions, like air travel, driving, and home electricity use.

3) Calculate your emissions. To do this, choose an appropriate online carbon calculator for each of the emissions you have identified in (2) from the ‘Resources’ section. Some carbon calculators are specific for just one emission source like air travel; others will allow you to calculate the emissions from more than one source. Note you can use any of these calculators without making a purchase. It should also be noted that some carbon calculators will give slightly different results; this is because different methodologies may be used (e.g. factoring in all greenhouse gases released during air travel vs. just the CO2). Don’t worry too much about this when selecting a calculator; the point is to get some sense of the emissions you’re responsible for.

4) Once you know how many tonnes of emissions you produce, you can then purchase the necessary offsets. There are many vendors online that sell offsets; see the ‘Resources’ section below for a list of some vendors that can be found online. There is some variability in price depending on the vendor you choose (and whether it’s a charity or a for-profit company), and the type of offsets they sell. But as with any purchase, it’s important to consider the quality of the offsets you support, rather than simply looking for the cheapest option. See our What is a Carbon Offset page for things you should look for when shopping for offsets.

5) Review your strategy annually. This will include finding ways to reduce your emissions even more. Also, if you started with just one emission source (e.g. air travel), you may choose to broaden your approach and look at other emissions you generate.”

This was taken from http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/What_You_Can_Do/carbon_neutral_steps.asp

I thought this was very interesting and it seems like it takes a lot of energy and effort to become carbon neutral. I think it comes with teaching it at a young age and to make it “fun.” I understand that when you are purchasing these offsets, you’re supporting energy efficent companies, but it almost seems like you are buying your way out of being energy efficent yourself. Someone with a lot of money can just use excessive amounts of energy and then buy a tonne of offsets and say “oh i’m carbon neutral;” I just don’t see how it helps the environment.
sam.