Tonight we watched Penn & Teller’s Bullsh*t show on “Being Green.” Here’s how they describe it:
In episode 606, Penn and Teller consider the popularity of the “green” movement, a largely bogus and hypocritical philosophy that links sanctimonious politics to an “ethical” lifestyle while doing little or nothing to actually create a healthier ecosystem.
Part of the show is debunking the whole notion of buying carbon credits. Rick had never heard of such a thing and started laughing at how ridiculously “bullsh*t” the concept sounded. Then I had to tell him that I’ve bought carbon credits from Expedia/Terrapass for my flights for a while. He laughed even harder, claiming I’d clearly fallen for the eco-bullsh*t.
Ah, the fun of soon-to-be mommy and daddy having different views on things. Lennon, my son, my darling, you are going to have so much fun with us and our different perspectives. Daddy guys to the deli and buys the super stacked meat sandwich. Mommy’s been vegetarian since before she turned 18. Daddy thinks buying carbon credits is “bullsh*t” while Mommy has actively engaged in the idea for a few years now.
We decided that the solution is to come together on the carbon credit cause and find a compromise. First we went to TerraPass and calculated our annual carbon footprint. It turns out that driving our 2 BMWs, taking a small handful of flights per year and our usual energy consumption at home comes to approximately 53,000 lbs of CO2. On Terrapass, we can buy carbon credits to cover that amount for $315.35. So Rick challenges me to go do some carbon credit price comparisons. In other words, how cheaply can we buy off our carbon footprint? So I found this site listing a Carbon Emissions Offset Directory. On this site you can price-shop your carbon credit purchase and get a ton of carbon credit for as low as $5.00 per ton (compared to TerraPass’s $13.12 per ton price). But then, here’s the better part. Not only does the directory tell you how and where the credits go, but it also tells you which organizations are non-profit. TerraPass is not.. but CarbonFund.org is.. And their carbon credits are priced competitively at $9-$10 per ton. The advantage here is that you can both offset your carbon footprint and make a donation to a non-profit - which translates to a tax credit! Brilliant. Saving money while saving the planet.
So that’s what we’re looking at now. Thought we’d share.
