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[GreenYes] Re: Recycle Offset Credits?


Title: [GreenYes] Re: Recycle Offset Credits?

I continue to be puzzled by this line of thinking.

Background: I teach sustainability. My lifestyle is pretty low carbon 
-- bike, eat low on the food chain, limited travel, buy used, live in 
shared housing. Still I (and my students) can't get to one earth on 
the footprint calculators.

What to do? I make voluntary contributions to a non-profit 
organization that invests the money in projects to capture carbon. 
Mine are all third party certified.

The line I heard: do everything you can, then offset the rest.

Another way of looking at this comes from worldchanging.com (Alex 
Steffen). "We can't consume our way out of this mess." Translation: 
make better decisions on daily actions (like zero waste) but also take 
action to restore.

Since this is a class theme, I am very interested in what all you 
folks are doing to restore.

                                                                                                        Curt

http://www.worldchanging.com/
http://www.mcad.edu/showPage.php?status=1&pageID=1311


On Jun 19, 2008, at 6:03 PM, Neil Tangri wrote:

>
> Rightfully so, in my opinion. I'm not sure where they are planning on
> selling these carbon credits, but in effect, carbon credits mean that
> when you avoid emissions through recycling, someone else buys the 
> credit
> and increases their emissions by the same amount...so the net 
> benefit to
> the climate is zero. And while Urban Ore's emissions avoidance might 
> be
> real, many others are scams -- which means that the carbon trading
> program simply becomes a way of buying one's way out of carbon caps.
>
> The environmental justice groups have come out quite strongly against
> carbon trading. There's a great book on the topic, very 
> conversationally
> written, available free on PDF here:
>
> http://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/summary.shtml?x=544225
>
> cheers,
>
> Neil
>
>
> Mary Lou Van Deventer wrote:
>> At Urban Ore, one of our managers is investigating this carbon-offset
>> idea for our company.  Our attorney just asked me if the manager is
>> head of the Greenwashing Department.  We're kind of ambivalent 
>> about it.
>>
>>
>> Mary Lou Van Deventer
>> Urban Ore
>> 900 Murray St.
>> Berkeley, CA 94710
>> marylouvan@no.address
>>
>>
>> On Jun 19, 2008, at 12:00 PM, Jewell, Rebecca wrote:
>>
>>> http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/technology/recyclenet-rocs-recycling-offset-credits/-2010196893
>>>
>>> SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, Jun 19, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) ----Paul
>>> Roszel, Chairman of RecycleNet Corporation (OTCBB: GARM)is pleased
>>> to introduce the Recycling Offset Credit (ROCs) program. This
>>> program provides a certified measurement system to recognize and
>>> reward companies for their recycling efforts. RecycleNet will issue/
>>> award Recycling Offset Credits (ROCs) for each ton of material
>>> recycled by participants.
>>>
>>> As a result of the increased awareness of climate change and global
>>> warming, more and more people have become concerned about greenhouse
>>> gas emissions and are developing strategies to reduce their carbon
>>> footprint. Many companies, individuals and institutions have
>>> implemented carbon neutral goals.
>>>
>>> The Recycling Offset Credits (ROCs) program is an effort to provide
>>> a universally recognized standard to measure and certify recycling
>>> efforts and to demonstrate the economic impact of the recycling
>>> industry. Recycling Offset Credits (ROCs) may be used to calculate
>>> an equivalent offset of your carbon footprint.
>>>
>>> RecycleNet Corporation invites any company, institution or
>>> organization to participate in the voluntary ROCs program by
>>> reporting materials recycled. There is no fee to participate and the
>>> program is open and applicable to anyone in all stages of the
>>> recycling/reverse distribution supply chain.
>>>
>>> For more information and to participate in the Recycling Offset
>>> Credits program please visit www.recycle.net/offsetcredits.
>>>
>>> About RecycleNet
>>>
>>> RecycleNet operates The Online Secondary Commodities Exchange.
>>> Founded in 1995, RecycleNet created a powerful platform to
>>> facilitate the international trade of secondary commodities.
>>> RecycleNet Corporation enables trade on a local, national and
>>> international basis with customized sites locating markets around
>>> the world in many different commodities. On any given day, there are
>>> in excess of $200 million in new items listed within our exchanges.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Rebecca Jewell
>>> Recycling Programs Manager
>>> Davis Street Station for Material Recycling & Transfer
>>> A Waste Management company
>>> 510-563-4214
>>>
>>> Fun Fact: Waste Management recycled more than 5 million tons of
>>> commodities last year; preventing the release of more than 3.4
>>> million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
> >
>



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