A Brighter Planet newsletter
20,000,000 steps in the right direction
Brighter Planet members have offset 22,018,113 lbs. of CO2.
That's like taking 664,183 cars off the road for a day.
Crossing the 20,000,000 mark
Congratulations and many thanks to all of you who have helped us reach a milestone: 10,000 tons (20,000,000 pounds) CO2 offset—that's like shutting off all the fossil-fuel power plants in the country for about 2 minutes!
These offsets fund renewable energy projects in communities across the U.S. that will, over their lifetimes, decrease our national dependence on "dirty" energy. So far, we have helped eleven small-scale wind projects on Minnesota and South Dakota family farms, Colorado's Wray School District wind project, and two methane digester projects on Pennsylvania dairy farms. These premium offsets from NativeEnergy meet our stringent standards and help build a clean-energy future.
Ask Bill McKibben
Ask Bill McKibben is a series of Q&As that give the Brighter Planet community a chance to hear from a leading voice in the environmental movement.
Q: I am very concerned about our environment. I want to know if all these carbon offsets really make sense or are they just a way for people and companies with means to avoid doing the right thing themselves? It looks very suspicious to me. —New American Dream reader Mike Kendig
A: If they're the only thing that you do to address the problem, then your suspicions are well-founded. But if you are using them in the proper spirit—as a way to offset unavoidable damage as you work for real change—then I think they're great. Look, I'm about to travel to China to try to persuade leaders there to work with our 350.org effort for massive global change. I want to be able to buy my ticket with a Brighter Planet credit card so that at least [some of] the carbon from that flight will be offset. It's not going to save the planet, and it's not going to save my soul, but it helps some. —Bill McKibben
Bill McKibben, a Brighter Planet advisory board member, is an environmental author and activist. If you have a question you'd like to ask him, write us at askbill@brighterplanet.com.
—the team at Brighter Planet
June's conservation tip: With gas prices skyrocketing, we know you're trying to limit your driving and take public transportation when you can. Another road tip: no idling! Idling your vehicle emits harmful pollutants, wastes fuel, and contributes to climate change. Myth-buster: Idling a car for even 10 seconds uses more fuel than turning the engine off and back on.
Find this tip useful? We've recently added a library of 100 tips. You can even make a badge for your site.
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