IES has lead the way in greening study abroad. Their Go Green Initiative^TM has significantly improved their Chicago headquarters and worldwide offices’ environmental performance. Through this program, IES has significantly reduced paper usage, switched to FSC certified paper, encouraged their employees to save energy, reduced their carbon footprint, increased recycling, and reduced water usage. They’ve even gone the extra mile by composting leftover food and powering offices with renewable energy in some locations.

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Virgin America is the Official Domestic Airline of the Governors’ Second Annual Climate Summit in Los Angeles from Sept. 30-Oct. 2.  Also, Virgin America released its first annual Climate Report today describing their unique sustainability efforts and emissions data for 2008.  When Virgin America launched in 2007 they took great care to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of their business.  They not only use more efficient aircraft, regulating cruising speed to reduce fuel burn, and encourage customers to offset the impact of their flight through Carbonfund.org, they even use organic hand soap in the airplane bathrooms!

Earlier this year, Virgin America became the first U.S. airline to join The Climate Registry and commit to reporting emissions according to The Climate Registry’s standards.  We are proud that our partner is an innovator and a leader in sustainability efforts for the airline industry.

Flying somewhere? Check out this page where you can offset your trip! If you’re reading this in-flight, remember you can offset your trip during flight on Virgin America’s RED™ in-flight entertainment system.

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Learn more about the events around Car Free Day here. Also, you can offset your carbon footprint with Carbonfund.org in support of outstanding projects that are reducing carbon emissions in the US and abroad. Get started- calculate your carbon footprint!

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But the story that I bring home with me has to do with power – renewable vs. conventional and old vs. new. Mountain Storm, West Virginia is home to Dominion Power’s largest coal fired power plant. The first units of this 1,600 megawatt power plant were built in 1965 and are currently responsible for about 12.5 million tons of CO2; 3,139 tons of smog forming sulfur dioxides; 22,464 tons of nitrous oxides; and over 340 lbs of mercury every year. This power plant is a behemoth both in size and in emissions that looms large over this area of West Virginia. The dual billowing smokestacks of the plant represent a few jobs for local workers, but is a living sign of environmental destruction as well.

Directly adjacent to the coal fired power plant is a sight to behold for clean energy advocates such as myself – wind turbines as far as the eye can see. The NedPower Mountain Storm wind energy project has erected 132 two megawatt wind turbines that generate 264 megawatts of clean energy. I have never seen this many turbines before in my life, and watching them spin and breathe new life into our energy grid gave me so much hope for a clean energy future.

These turbines make sense in a place like Mountain Storm. There is land available on the cheap (sometimes ‘reclaimed land’ which has been used for surface, or mountain top removal mining), workers that are experienced in industrial construction, ideal conditions for generating wind power, and existing transmissions lines from the coal power plant to get the energy to the power hungry cities of the east coast.

Located at the nexus of where the coal plant and the turbines meet is the Mountain Storm Lake – a dammed river that Dominion Power uses to cool the coal generators. This Lake is a center for recreation and is constantly at bath temperature due to the coal plant.

Sitting by this unnaturally warm Lake (which is apparently fine to swim in – I wonder about regular exposure to things like mercury that may be falling from the smoke stacks or leeching from the GIANT piles of coal that were less than 1,000 feet away) one cannot help but think of the past and the future. Coal and renewable energy. Poverty and jobs. Destruction and health. What relics of our past do we want to embrace and which ones do we want to see slowly fade away?

The balance exists now, and places like Mountain Storm are living examples of how one location can embody nearly every facet of energy debates that are being had in Washington now. Personally, I want to see more turbines, and less coal. There are more jobs to be had in wind these days than in coal, and that is news that I think we can all embrace.

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My favorite camping trip to date was when I piled some supplies in a canoe and paddled aimlessly through the Georgian Bay, looking for the perfect island to camp on. The waters were clear (and cold!) and the weather was perfect. All I needed on that trip to make me happy was some easy to make food, a cheap bottle of wine and some pieces of driftwood to make a fire. My carbon footprint was small, but my satisfaction was great.

When traveling, much of your carbon footprint comes from getting you to and from your destination. So when picking your camping location, consider some place close enough to drive. Sites like trails.com provide a quick reference for camping locations near where you live. Also, consider supporting Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree^® Partners, like Mountain Plus, when looking to gear up for your trip. Also, where ever you may roam, offset the car or flight emissions that got you there.

This Labor Day, if you are looking for a real break from life, pack a tent and some food and make a b-line for the wilderness. Camping keeps your carbon footprint small, won’t break the budget and it might be exactly what you need to recharge your battery.

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Dealers submitted 690,114 rebate claims totaling $2.88 billion dollars. 84% of people traded in their ‘clunker’ trucks for fuel efficient cars like Toyota Corrolla, Honda Civic and the Toyota Camry. The switch from older trucks to more efficient cars has resulted in a 58% improvement in MPG among the nearly 700,000 participants of the CARS program. That is going to save consumers a lot of gas and a lot of money!

There are many benefits to a program like CARS that highlight what Americans may be able to expect from comprehensive climate legislation.

• Job Creation – by putting the right incentives in place that encourage greener technologies, jobs are created that can’t be outsourced. Americans need to build the technology needed to meet our ambitious climate goals. The CARS program claims to have saved or created over 42,000 jobs and boosted economic growth for the third quarter of 2009 by 0.3-0.4 percentage points.
• Consumer Savings – though there is an upfront cost to cleaner technologies (those participating in the CARS program were only subsidized for part of the value of the new vehicle, the rest they had to spend out of pocket), savings will be reaped over the long run. An average vehicle’s lifespan is about 13 years and 145,000 miles – so one vehicle traded in through the CARS program will use about 3,354 fewer gallons (and emit about 65,600 fewer pounds of CO2!) than their clunker predecessors over that lifetime. Assuming gas costs $3.00 over that lifespan, that is a savings of more than $10,000!
• Environmental Benefits – the benefits to the environment from reducing emissions, be it at the tailpipe or at a smokestack, are multifaceted. By reducing global warming pollutants, we are also improving local air quality (which improves human health), preventing the release of toxic materials that seep into our water and food (which also improves human health), and reducing the need to drill or mine for fossil fuel resources.

The CARS program was a success because it was an easy to understand initiative that benefited consumers and the environment. Many of the proposed initiatives in the current climate legislation provide this same kind of win-win. If only the Waxman-Markey bill had four-wheels, a steering wheel, and surround sound stereo, I don’t think that we would still be debating it’s merits in congress… Vroom Vroom!

(Image Courtesy of the AP)

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Business travel is frequently the second largest part of a company’s carbon footprint, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with NBTA again to help spread the word about how important it is for companies to make their business travel greener. Several of our partners will be in attendance at NBTA including Virgin America, JetBlue, Avis Budget Group, and Amtrak. If you happen to be there as well, please stop by and say hello to the Carbonfund.org team at booth #1346.

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EcoStinger offers high quality sun protective clothing for both children and adults.  Since most skin damage occurs before the age of 15, protecting you and your children at a young age is vital to ensuring lasting skin health.  With over seven years in the sun protection clothing industry, EcoStinger fabric is tested by the Australian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Agency and given the highest rating of UPF50+ (their clothes block over 97.5% of the sun’s rays!).  Chlorine resistant, water repellent, breathable, and quick-drying are the features you will enjoy in your new EcoStinger outfit.

If you’re swimming, skiing, surfing, boating, cycling, or running, sun protective clothing from EcoStinger can help guard your skin from the sun’s harmful radiation.  To learn more about their products visit www.ecostinger.com.  For 10% off, use coupon code ECOWIM at checkout.  Remember, there’s free shipping on orders over $59 in the US and you get a free swimsuit if your order is over $59.

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Central Coast Outdoors has a very complete environmental initiative that is highly impressive. They use a 2008 Toyota Prius for smaller trips that need vehicle support and estimate this will help to reduce their annual fuel consumption and carbon emissions by over 50%. Additionally, they have installed solar electric panels at their home/office. Combining the usage of solar panels with more energy efficient appliances, they anticipate being able to reduce 70-75% of their electrical use.

We are always thrilled to see a company following our organizations’ motto of “Reduce What You Can, Offset What You Can’t” and Central Coast Outdoors is an example of a company making a difference in their green efforts.

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The NBTA’s commitment to greening their signature event goes well beyond offsetting, as they have incorporated several eco-friendly initiatives into this year’s Convention. The commitment to reducing their impact includes creating fewer printed materials and ensuring that these materials, such as the Convention Program & Exposition Guide, are printed on recycled paper using vegetable-based inks by a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified printer.

In selecting The San Diego Convention Center as the host of this year’s event, the NBTA made a very green choice for the Convention. The San Diego Convention Center has installed an energy efficient heating and cooling system, lighting, and kitchen upgrades that have resulted in savings of almost 3 million kWh annually. Recycling at the facility has diverted 24% of the total waste and a new food composting program will divert 260 tons of food annually. Leftover Convention items, such as surplus furniture and computers will be donated to local schools or social services. San Diego is also one of the “10 most walkable U.S. cities,” which helps reduce the need for driving while in the area. The San Diego Convention Center is connected to several hotels with easy access to the San Diego Trolley and buses ─ making it a great “green” host for the NBTA Convention.

We salute the NBTA for undertaking a comprehensive initiative to green the 2009 Convention. By reducing what they can, and offsetting what they can’t, the NBTA is demonstrating excellent leadership to its members and sponsors. If you are attending the 2009 NBTA Convention, please stop by and say hello to the Carbonfund.org team by visiting us at booth #1346!

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