Living a Carbon Neutral Life with Carbon Offsets

June 30, 2020

If you’re like most of us, you’re concerned about your impact on the environment. Everyday activities, from household energy to commuting to online shopping, are contributing to your carbon footprint. Thankfully, there are lots of ways to reduce your carbon footprint, but even with these efforts, you might feel like you could still do more to minimize the emissions your life creates. And purchasing carbon offsets is a simple solution.

What are carbon offsets?

Carbon offsets allow you to neutralize your carbon footprint. When you purchase a carbon offset, you help fund projects like methane capture at landfills, reforestation or renewable energy farms, that can help offset carbon emissions on a large scale. Each carbon offset is equivalent to preventing or reducing one metric ton (about 2,200 pounds) of greenhouse gas emissions.

Where does the money go?

Carbon offsets fund a variety of projects, like:

• Reforestation

Reforestation efforts minimize the impact of greenhouse emissions by capturing CO2 and thereby reducing the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere.

• Renewable energy development

Renewable energy development helps grow power alternatives such as solar, hydroelectric, wind, biomass and landfill energy. These energy sources create less pollution, create more job opportunities, and reduce human reliance on fossil fuels that contribute to greenhouse gas production.

• Landfill gas capture

Landfill gas capture traps methane and carbon dioxide released by decomposing garbage in landfills and converts it to usable energy. Capturing the gas is important because methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, with 28 to 36 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide, according to the EPA.

Who is the ideal candidate for carbon offsets?

The answer is simple: everyone! Whether you’re an individual, family, small business or corporation, carbon offsets are the perfect way to make a difference. If you have a personal goal to curb your carbon footprint or you are a company looking for ways to neutralize business emissions, carbon offsets can help you achieve your goals.

How many offsets should I purchase?

Carbon offsets can be sold by the metric ton or in packages. If you would like to offset a particular aspect of your life, you can choose a carbon offset package based on the size of your home, your commute or for travel plans.

Standardized packages take the guesswork out of your footprint by using national and global data to estimate carbon impact. If using national averages is not for you, you can use our Carbon Footprint Calculator to determine how many offsets you need to offset your footprint. You can also make a one-time purchase or sign up for a monthly subscription.

Offset packages can be tailored to meet any goal and budget, and they’re an easy, affordable way to make a difference. When you purchase from Green Mountain Energy, you can rest assured that the funds support projects vetted by industry-leading, third-party certification standards, such as the Verified Carbon Standard, Climate Action Reserve, and Clean Development Mechanism. Our carbon offsets are real, permanent and verifiable. You might not want to stop traveling or give up modern luxuries like air conditioning, but that doesn’t mean you can't minimize your carbon footprint. For questions or to purchase the offset package that’s right for you, visit our website today.