To make amends for emissions, businesses try offsets

Kellogg: Increasingly, people want to associate themselves with companies that they feel are doing more than just making a buck. They want to support companies that they feel are values-aligned and in tune with the issues of the day.... A great example is Stonyfield Farm. When they started distributing products in the Pacific Northwest, they engaged in reforestation offsets in the Pacific Northwest. So they got additional support for their market entry through the stories that were created as a result of those offsets. It's brilliant marketing, and it's a great way to better engage your consumer base.

Kellogg: They may be out there. [But] I think consumers are savvy enough to know when they're being hoodwinked. I would encourage everybody to ask tough questions of companies that are doing this.

Sheppard: "Is this the only thing you've done?" That's really simple. We do strongly recommend that offsets might be the first thing, but they shouldn't be the last step [that companies take].

Kellogg: There's no question. A report that Clean Air-Cool Planet recently put together does an outstanding job of breaking down some of the key differences.

Sheppard: There are a number of steps that they can take. The interesting thing is that a number of Web-based providers now make it relatively simple. By merely punching in information on a website, you can calculate the amount of CO2 emissions that your automobile produces or that your home or your small business produces in the course of a year. Of if you happen to be traveling, there are a number of providers now on the Web that allow you to offset your travel as well.

Kellogg: It costs about $100 for the average individual to go carbon neutral. And if that's too much, you can start looking at different parts of your lifestyle and decide to offset your car-transport emissions, for example. I'm a big fan of getting people accustomed to this new currency – the currency of carbon dioxide – and understanding that every certain number of miles you drive has a certain carbon implication. People should be braced to engage in that conversation.

Clean Air-Cool Planet report: www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/ConsumersGuidetoCarbonOffsets.pdf

Climate Neutral Co.: www.carbonneutral.com/calculators/index_shop_calculator.asp

Climate Trust: www.carboncounter.org

Native Energy: www.nativeenergy.com/lifestyle_calc.html

Sustainable Travel: www.sustravel.co.uk/carbon_calculator

World Resources Institute: www.safeclimate.net/calculator

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