Regarding carbon offsets...

Having just gotten back from my annual vacation (this time to Pittsburgh, PA; Cincinnati, OH; and Lexington, KY), I'm feeling all-too-aware of the carbon footprint I left over the East Coast. While I'd love to boast that I did save some energy and fuel by combining my trips into one, let's face it: plane rides are just plain resource-intensive. Don't get me wrong--I can appreciate that often (environmentally-speaking) it makes more sense to fly than drive...I can appreciate that flying gives me the opportunity to see my friends and family much more often than I would otherwise...and I can certainly appreciate the "free" Diet Cokes and peanuts. But I did have the fleeting thought...should I have looked into purchasing carbon offsets prior to my trip?

Interestingly, when I got back into the office this week and was trudging through my pile-up of email, I came across an article about carbon offsets in Grist magazine. What's even more interesting is that the article is a response to a carbon offset question by a woman who lives right here in North Carolina. The respondent (Umbra) addresses not only his/her opinion on carbon offsets in general (as well as referencing another series Grist did on the issue), but also provides a nice plug for our very own NC GreenPower.

Umbra's bottom line, though, is well-said:

"Purchasing an individual carbon offset from a company, which then supports renewable energy development, is great. It is a wonderful chance to financially support projects that would not otherwise be able to get up and running. It does not erase whatever emissions we are emitting. So driving around in an SUV with a “My emissions are compensated for” kind of bumpersticker is ... is ... is—ooh! I’m getting agitated again. Let’s just say I think it misleads the uninformed."

So hey--if you have the resources (read: money), go for it. Carbon-offset to your heart's content. Feel warm and fuzzy inside. Just don't delude yourself into thinking you've somehow erased your carbon footprint (and I say that in the nicest way possible!)