Arizona State University wants to be "Net Zero Carbon" by 2025.
It will achieve this status by " ... balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount of renewable energy or offsetting by planting trees ..."
Check out Arixzona State University's Carbon Neutrality Action Plan which gives details for reaching Net Zero Carbon.
Via: Arizona State University LINK
American University new School of International Service is expected to receive LEED-GOLD certification.
The building is designed by architect Willam McConough, ... "renown for sustainable design and his "cradle-to cradle" philosophy for recycling and reusing building materials...." .
Some of the many green and environmentally friendly features include: a 33 KW solar energy system, rainwater collection (60,000 gallons) for flushing toilets, LED lighting in the car park, rain gardens, and much more.
Read more by follwing the link below.
Via: American University LINK
Cooks can now buy carbon neutral cookware from M.E. Heuck.
M.E. Heuck partnered with FirstCarbon Solutions to get a CarbonNeutral® Certification for its ZEROCA line of cookware. The certification comes from The CarbonNeutral Company.
" ... independent assessment of the CO2 emissions produced from manufacturing and distribution followed by an offset-inclusive carbon management program. ... every metric ton of CO2 that ZEROCA produc
es is matched by an equivalent, guaranteed CO2 reduction through a carbon offset project." M.E. Heuck is the first cookware to achieve CarbonNeutral® Certification.
For more information about FirstCarbon Solutions LINK
For more information about CarbonNeutral Company LINK
Via: FirstCarbon Solutions LINK
When buying Viva Terra products you have the option to purchase carbon offsets for the delivery of your order. " ... reduce the environmental impact ... by selecting EarthEra® ... For ... $1 per order, customers balance the carbon emissions associated with the delivery of their purchases ..." " ... EarthEra is powered by NextEra Energy Resources, America's largest producer of wind and solar power."
Via: Viva Terra LINK
Viva Terra's Mad Mats®are made from recycled plastics.
" ... Mad Mats® are made from recycled plastic bottles and packing materials ... absorb no stains, can easily be cleaned with garden hose or sponge, and won't trap water or mildew. ..."
For an additional $1 in shipping fees you can offset the carbon impact from shipping. Details on the Viva Terra web site under shipping.
Via: Viva Terra LINK
In June of 2009 Dell announced that they source over 1/4 of their global energy needs from renewable sources.
" ... powers nine ... facilities in the United States and Europe with 100 percent renewable energy. ... Round Rock, Texas; Twin Falls, Idaho and Oklahoma City, Okla. ..."
In addition to using a significant amount of renewable energy sources they " ... plan to reduce ... greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2015. ... "
Dell follows a simple 3-step model where they work efficiently (energy-wise), use renewable energyand offset with carbon credits from verified sources.
" ... only company in the computer industry to achieve operational carbon neutrality in August 2008 ..."
Via: DELL LINK
"UPS ... became the first small package carrier to offer its customers the ability to offset the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the transport of their packages within the United States."
" ... offer U.S. shippers the option of paying a small fee to calculate and offset the climate impact of the shipment of each of their packages. information about UPS carbon neutral services is available at ups.com/carbonneutral."
" ... To encourage customers to participate ... UPS will match the offset purchases, effectively doubling the offsets purchased in 2009-2010, up to $1 million."
" ... the carbon offset process is ... certified by The CarbonNeutral Company. "
Enviance makes a carbon reporting system for the " ... Apparently close to 61 percent of companies still don’t have any sort of carbon emissions tracking system in place."
" ... Enviance Greenhouse Gas FastTrack program is specifically focused on businesses that need to comply with ... requirements put in place by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ... call for companies to submit their first batch of information for fiscal year 2010 by March 31, 2011. ..."
Via: ZDNet LINK
U2 has taken a novel approach to getting fans to getting fans to think about the bands carbon footprint and in doing so may help promote the idea of carbon offsets.
U2's show uses quite a bit of carbon in getting things set up and moved around the world. They are promoting to fans that they can do their part to help offset the carbon footprint of the concert when they buy tickets ... read on for more.
" ... U2’s latest 360 tour ... the incredible techno set that is the centerpiece of the show.... we’ve heard little about how much power all those cool screens and moveable bridges are using. I’m guessing quite a bit, and now U2 has moved to do its part by offering fans the ability to buy carbon offsets for a project in Turkey when you buy a concert ticket."
" ... what this will do, I believe, is highlight the whole idea of carbon offsets with a totally new audience, literally and figuratively."
Via: SmartPlanet LINK
This video shows interactively the carbon footrprint of two food choices - a cheesburger and a chicen sandwich. Knowing this which would you choose?
Via: SmartPlanet LINK
PNC is well known for their green projects ... one of their ads says they have more green buildings than any other bank ...
In addition to having green buildings - PNC now has a GREEN WALL. " ... the largest green wall in North America ... 2,380 sq. ft., soil-based wall - similar in size to a doubles tennis court - features a variety of regional plants grown into living art on the south-facing wall of One PNC Plaza ... in downtown Pittsburgh." " ... estimated that each of the 602 panels, with 24 plants in each 2x2 sq. ft. space, will offset the carbon footprint of one person. ... similar to a green roof, will help to cool the 30-story building ... wall is a fitting reminder that PNC is the world leader in green building ...".
" ... has more newly constructed buildings certified by the United States Green Building Council under its LEED® program than any other company in the world ... includes 64 trademark Green Branch® locations and two office buildings. About 20 environmentally friendly branches and two other major buildings are under construction or awaiting LEED certification." Via: PRNewsWire LINK
Continue reading "More About Fox 24 Going Carbon Neutral - Behind the Scenes" »
The Fox TV Show "24" " ... becomes the first carbon neutral television production."
" ... Nearly a year after announcing its aim to reduce its carbon footprint and in
spire its viewers to do the same, "24," ... has far exceeded its carbon-reduction goals and will be the first television production ever to achieve carbon neutrality. ... reduced the carbon emissions associated with its production by a staggering 43%, and ... has purchased high-quality carbon offsets to address its remaining unavoidable emissions. "
Want to support GREEN energy with your web site?
Check out CO2 stats ...
"CO2Stats is the only service that automatically calculates your website's total energy consumption, helps to make it more energy efficient, and then purchases audited renewable energy from wind and solar farms to neutralize its footprint carbon ..."
" ...Neutralize your site's carbon footprint with audited renewable energy.... With CO2Stats, your visitors can see live reports on your site's CO2 emissions.
Via: CO2stats LINK
" ... uniquely interactive format and high caliber of participants, ECO:nomics debuted last year as the premier forum for CEOs and entrepreneurs driving growth at the intersection of business and the environment...."
Snippets of the Program ... "... Green People - What do consumers want, and what will they pay for it? ... Power Play - What will keep the lights on: nuclear energy or "clean coal"? ... Fresh Juice - Can wind and solar grow big enough to matter? ... The Future of Coal ... The Future of Biofuels ... The Future of Solar ..."
Via: eco-nomics LINK
" ... Czech power group CEZ plans to build a 1.1 billion euro ($1.62 billion) wind park in Romania, the largest of its kind in Europe ... the two-stage, 600 megawatt project ... built 17 km (10 miles) from the Black Sea shore, ... twice the size of the next biggest onshore wind farm in Europe."
" ... half the wind park would come on line in 2009 and the rest a year later ..."
"Investment into renewables is one of the strategic measures we are taking to respond to the adopted energy-climactic package of the EU ..."
Via: Reuters LINK
Reduce your carbon footprint. I am sure you have heard that before ... but do you know how you, as an individual, can help? Some things are easy to do like drive less, take public transportation when possible, car pool ,,, but what if you want ot do more?
The idea is to reduce to the best of your ability and then ... off set the rest ... 
Organizations like Carbonfund.org can help. " ... Carbon offsets allow you take action on global warming now. ... support greenhouse gas reduction projects and hasten the transition to a clean energy future. ...can be more efficient than other measures an individual can take to fight global warming, ..."
" ... Carbon dioxide emissions are a global problem, so reducing a ton of CO2 in Brazil or North Dakota has the same climate change benefit as doing so in your backyard ..." by "... carbon-reducing projects such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects."
Via: Carbonfund.org LIN
"The Sustainable Living Fair is a solution based, hands-on, family oriented event designed to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about Sustainable Living Practices,... and more."
" ... 10,000 people attended last year, yet the Fair only produced 230 pounds of trash. Recycling bins and compost receptacles are everywhere, and the Fair also purchases offset credits. ..."
Key Note speakers include Ed Begley ...
Via: EcoLocolizer Link
Business Conferences and conventions are a fact of life for business travelers ... now one conference / sponsor is using Carbon Offsets as a way to help attendees feel better about the carbon impact of their travel to the conference.
The Eclipse World Developers Conference is being held on Oct 28 - 30 in Reston, Virginia. One of the conference's Gold Sponsors is offering to help offset the carbon emission of traveling to the conference.
"Genuitec, ... is offering a special to anyone who attends the “MyEclipse” training track. ... will donate to the CarbonFund.org organization to offset any carbon footprints created as a result of traveling to the Washington D.C. area for the conference...
Via: Eclipse World Link
Continue reading "Carbon Offset Promotion Available to Convention Attendees" »
The JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challange is going green. Approx. 250,000 runners participate and by becoming greener they can l;essen theeir environmental impact.
How? Read on for more ...
" ... conserving enough energy to provide lighting for a 50-employee business for nearly seven years ... those 50 employees ... would each be able to charge their laptops for 35 years of consecutive use, run their inkjet printers for 28 years, and take more than 180,000 digital pictures. ... ... saving of approximately 790 million BTUs – enough to power an average home for more than eight years, or keep 10 treadmills running non-stop in a health club for two years ... saving more than five tons of paper, six tons of plastic, nearly 5,000 gallons of crude oil or nearly 300 40-foot tall trees."
So how does this happen? By " ...executing best green practices ... Insuring that all race day supplies...adhere to standards of the OEA, ...Promoting proper recycling and trash removal ... by insuring the vast majority of our communication with companies is done electronically. ...Encouraging all participants to travel to events via provided shuttle transportation, via public transportation, by foot, or via GreenRide, our rideshare program partner in select markets."
Via: JPMorganChase Link
"Officals from Major League Baseball, the ... (EPA), the ... (NRDC), Green-e Energy and WindStreet Energy, ... joined the Phillies in announcing a major initiative at Citizens Bank Park to aid in the efforts for a cleaner environment."
" To offset the carbon footprint created ... the Phillies have purchased 20 million kilowatt-hours of Green-e Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). According to the EPA, this is the largest single purchase of 100% renewable energy in professional sports and is equivalent to the planting of 100,000 trees."
"The Phillies are the first Major League Baseball team to join the EPA's Green Power Partnership (GPP) program, ... According to the EPA, the team is the third largest Green Power Partner in Philadelphia and seventh largest Green Power Partner in Pennsylvania."
Via: PhiladelphiaPhillies.com Link
New Flyer manufactures both standard and hybrid buses. They have delivered many to Philadelphia's SEPTA transit authority.
New Flyer " ... the industry leader in bringing new technology to the market ... offer a complete range of hybrid-electric bus solutions ...".
"New Flyer hybrid buses have been on the road since 1997, longer than any other manufacturer in the US or Canada. ... have accumulated over 12 million service miles – more than all other manufacturers combined. ..."
Hybrid Bus Benefits Include ...
"Increased fuel economy"
"Reduced emissions"
Via: New Flyer Link
Used tires can be an eyesore and even a fire hazard (recall the incident of an illegal tire dump catching fire under I-95 in Philadelphia in March 1996).
The can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes due to the 
stagnant water they hold.
Here is an innovative solution.
>>> Lehigh Technologies has developed a method of cryogenic grinding tires that results in a fine powder that can then be used as a component for a variety of products ... and imparting some of rubbers properties (elasticity and flexibility) into the final products.
Reusing recycled rubber can help reduce the carbon footprint of a finished good.
" ... Lehigh's flagship plant - one of the largest and most advanced rubber powder manufacturing facilities in the world. This ... plant in Tucker, Georgia, ... generates no environmental waste of any kind and requires no air, water, pollution or other permits."
Via: Lehigh Technologies Link
"By agreement with the Vatican, Planktos/KlimaFa ... the Vatican plans to become the world's first entirely carbon neutral sovereign state, and it has accepted KlimaFa ecorestoration offsets to achieve this historic goal. ... ceremony on July 5th the Vatican ... accepted KlimaFa's offer to create a new Vatican Climate Forest in Europe that will initially offset all of the Vatican City State's CO2 emissions for this year."
"The new Vatican Climate Forest will be created in Hungary's Bükk National Park ... dimensions will be determined by the Vatican’s 2007 energy usage and the success of its current emission reduction efforts. KlimaFa has received EU JI Track 1 approval to plant thousands of hectares of new native species, mixed growth forests under the permanent protection of European national park systems. Its initial projects are being conducted in collaboration with Hungary's government, Academy of Sciences and National Parks Directorate."
"Planktos/KlimaFa has further committed to work with the Vatican ... to develop methods to calculate the CO2 emissions of individual Catholic churches and offer ecorestoration options to turn their carbon footprints green."
Via: KlimFa.com Link
G.E. Announces the Earth Rewards "Green Credit Card. The Rewards are in the form of reliable greenhouse gas offsets - even the application process is GREEN (paperless).
To learn more --- Read on:
"New York, NY, July 25, 2007 – ... the GE Money Earth RewardsSM Platinum MasterCard,® the first US credit card dedicated to reducing cardholders’ carbon emissions through trustworthy and reliable greenhouse gas emission offsets."
" ... the first consumer finance product in GE’s ecomagination portfolio – allows users to reduce their carbon footprint by automatically contributing up to one percent of their card purchases to buy greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions offsets. ... making Earth Rewards their primary card, a typical consumer could ... offset a significant portion of their likely direct annual GHG emissions. The application process is 100 percent paperless, ...".
“ ... the consumer-focused, educational MyEarthRewards.com and ecomagination.com web sites highlight the ways that GE is helping customers meet their growing environmental needs.”
" ... Each Earth Day (April 22), those Rewards will be used to purchase and retire greenhouse gas emissions credits through GE AES Greenhouse Gas Services, a joint venture between GE Energy Financial Services and The AES Corporation, ... ".
“GE and AES are committed to reducing 10 million metric tons of greenhouse gases each year by 2010 – equal to taking nearly 1.8 million cars off the road annually, ...”.
"... consumers will be able to select ... a full one percent of their card net purchases to GHG emission reduction projects; or contribute ½ percent to reduction projects and receive ½ percent cash back through their monthly statements ... will be able to switch back and forth between reward programs whenever they choose... ".
Sounds great. What is the impact a typical consumer cam make based on selected spending?
"Purchase Amount - Environmental Impact"
"$25 - Offsets the emissions associated with running a typical refrigerator for a month."
"$500 - Offsets the emissions from driving nearly 1,500 miles in the average car."
"$750/month for one year - Offsets the direct emissions one consumer is likely to produce in a year."
"The Earth Rewards card was launched at 7 World Trade Center, New York City’s first high performance LEED-certified commercial building (“LEED” is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™,... ".
For educational information: ecomagination.com
Via: G.E. NewsCenter.com Link
You do all the easy stuff ... recycle, reduce, reuse. You even try to live the green live. Are you succeeding?
Just how green are you? What is your impact on the environment?
>> Here are 2 sites that will help you determine your impact on the environment.
>> Enter your car's information and find out how much Co2 you are emitting
per year ... my 11 year old car that is used approx. 6000 miles emitted 4,989 lbs of CO2 per year.
Look for ideas on reducing / off setting your carbon emissions.
>> Enter information about your lifestyle you will get your estimated carbon impact, the number of trees needed to offset this and other ideas for reducing / off setting carbon emissions.
There is an option to donate to have these trees planted for you "on your behalf to fight climate change."
Via: The Green Dude Line: www.greentechnolog.com
