How green can one event be? If you’re at the US Green Building Council of New Jersey’s September 22nd Annual Luncheon and Golf Outing you’ll be swearing everything around you has turned green–from your conversations about the latest green trends in sustainable design to the putting green where you chip in your birdie. The event has been designed to take the environment into consideration. By playing on one of New Jersey’s only Audubon certified golf courses, you are supporting sustainable management techniques that maximize a golf course’s potential for protecting wildlife habitat. Further–the event has been made carbon neutral by offsetting in support of Carbonfund.org's third-party validated carbon reduction projects. If you’re looking for a fun way to support a great cause, sign up to compete in the US Green Building Council of New Jersey’s Golf Outing next week. They’re still signing up foursomes and you can register directly on their website.

The nation’s premier race to support endangered species has gone CarbonFree®.  Working with Wild Ones Promotions, Carbonfund.org has calculated the carbon footprint of all 4 North American races, including travel to the locations, hotel stays at the races and any equipment used at the races themselves.  To make these races CarbonFree® Wild Ones Promotions is donating $1 for every competitor. This donation will support Carbonfund.org’s reforestation projects. The Sunchaser Challenge begins at sunrise on May 22, 2010.  Thousands of competitors in four different locations in the United States will run, mountain bike, kayak, cycle, and navigate their way to rescue 50 different animals before sunset.  At checkpoints throughout the race, participants will need to collect representations of different endangered animals, and the solo or team entrant who collects the most wins a prize.  By raising awareness of endangered species and donating money to wildlife charities, the Sunchaser Challenge is at the forefront of protection efforts in the United States. Truly fulfilling its mission to protect the environment, the Sunchaser Challenge has made a commitment to make sure it is as sustainable as possible.  Registrations are being completed online, recycling stations will be set up throughout the race locations, participants are encouraged to bring old running shoes to recycle at the race, organic food and drinks are being made available at the race, and serving ware that will be used are biodegradable and recyclable. Registration is filling up quickly for the events located in Saranac Lake, NY; Lake Geneva, WI; Lake Havasu, AZ; and North Lake Tahoe, CA.  Wherever you are in the country, there’s a race in your time zone.  Give the race a try – raise some money for endangered species and see if you can be this year’s top scorer! Go to www.sunchaserchallenge.com now to find out more and join the Sunchasers!

The autumnal equinox marked the end of summer and is one of two days during the year when day is nearly equal to night.  If you’re like me and you’re not ready to let go of summer yet, treat yourself to one of summer’s prime delights–wine and cheese. Pairings Wine & Cheese takes the guesswork out of one of summer’s greatest pleasures. They go through the painstaking process of personally tasting and selecting delicious wines to go with magnificent artisan cheeses. As they say, “We taste and sip, sip and taste until we find the perfect wine and cheese taste combination that’s guaranteed to make everyone smile.” So help summer last just a little bit longer and treat yourself to a delicious wine and cheese pairing at Pairings Wine & Cheese. As an added bonus, Pairings Wine & Cheese makes all of their wine shipments carbon neutral by donating to Carbonfund.org’s third-party validated carbon reduction projects.

Do you worry about the impact your travel has on the environment and on local communities?  Do you enjoy learning about local customs and local environmental conditions when you travel?  When you take a trip with Green Edventures, they’ve got you covered.  Offering three educational adventures in the spring and summer of 2010, Green Edventures gives you the best of all worlds.  All three trips employ local guides, well versed in the local cultures and environmental problems.  Furthermore, these trips are carbon neutral through Green Edventures’ partnership with Carbonfund.org.

From frolicking with sea lions, snorkeling in a coral reef, and trekking breathtaking desert vistas in Mexico, to glacier hiking and sea kayaking in Alaska, Green Edventures provides options for different interests.  Green Edventures focuses on the three “e” values:  education, environment and empowerment to inspire people to become active environmental citizens.  On a green edventure, you learn from knowledgeable local guides about pressing environmental issues, like how climate change affects Alaska’s wilderness, overfishing in Baja California, and invasive plant species in Kenai Fjords National Park.

If you’re interested in attending a teacher-led Green Edventure, please visit their website at www.GreenEdventures.com.  The trips are filling up, so you'll want to sign up soon.

IES Abroad gives their students more than a great study abroad experience – they help their students make a difference in the fight against climate change. Even if you’re not attending their newly established Environmental Studies & Sustainability program in Germany’s black forest, IES has made it easy to calculate and offset your abroad experience’s carbon footprint with Carbonfund.org.  Through our affiliate page with IES, students can calculate the carbon footprint of their flight to their abroad destination and any flights they take while they are studying. IES students, when they’re not skiing in the Alps, scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef, dancing Tango in Buenos Aires, or eating Tapas in Barcelona, can now fully understand and neutralize the climate impact of their travel. 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.

With summer now here, minds collectively turn to one thing: looking good at the beach or outside. Well maybe not all of us, but we certainly like to look our best as the weather requires short sleeves and shorts. Gyms are getting packed and diet plans reinvigorated. As we change up how we eat, it’s important to make sure we continue to get the vitamins and minerals we need to stay healthy. So how can I do that and in a way that’s easier on the environment? That’s where CarbonFree® Partner, Vegetarian Wellness can help. Vegetarian Wellness is an online retailer specializing in vegetarian and vegan vitamins, supplements and foods. They sell over 600 nutritional products all of which are vegetarian based. Most of their products are free of genetically modified organisms (non-GMO), vegan and gluten free. Did you know that many vitamins and supplements contain animal products? Neither did I. Vegetarian Wellness only sells products that are free of animal testing. To top it off – they offset their business carbon footprint and participate in the 1% for the Planet program. So as you get in shape this summer, make sure you’re staying healthy with some eco-friendly vitamins from Vegetarian Wellness. As they say, “At Vegetarian Wellness our mission is to help everyone live better!”

With fall here, the days of 8:00 p.m. sunlight are over. These extra hours of darkness in the evening are responsible by some estimates for the equivalent of billions of gallons of fuel used to light our homes, offices and shops. So how can we keep our energy usage low and reduce our carbon footprint? Our partner Exterior Solar Lights has some suggestions. Their well-stocked shop of green, solar lights can help you slash your electricity bills throughout fall and winter and make use of the available daylight. Their solar lights require no electricity and can last up to 20 years thanks to LED bulbs and modern solar panels. From stainless steel solar garden lights to designer solar lamp posts, Exterior Solar Lights has the products you can use to enjoy the outdoors during the wintertime while cutting your energy usage and carbon footprint. As a benefit to the Carbonfund.org community, Exterior Solar Lights is offering 10 percent off your next purchase of $150 (plus shipping is free). Use promo code ThankYou10. How else are you cutting your carbon footprint as the seasons change? Add your suggestions in the comments below.

In early 2009, the Maldivian government proclaimed that their country would be the first in the world to become carbon neutral. The website Roadha.com is helping to realize that goal by becoming the first Maldivian CarbonFree^® Partner. After calculating their footprint from energy usage, business travel and commuting, Roadha.com is offsetting its carbon footprint in support of Carbonfund.org’s third-party validated reforestation projects. The Maldives are poised to take serious action on its carbon footprint. Standing about 7 feet above sea level, the country is dangerously exposed to rising sea levels, with experts predicting the country could be underwater by the end of the century. The BBC reports that the Maldives will build wind and solar renewable energy facilities to power the country’s electricity grid, investing $110 million a year to make the transition. They will also use sugarcane ethanol to meet their motor fuel needs and significantly cut down their carbon footprint.

We're happy to be working with Rainebrooke, known for its stylish pink laptop bags and cases, and today they announced continuing to reduce their impact on climate change by offsetting their carbon emissions for a third consecutive year with Carbonfund.org! You can read the press release here! “Our commitment to the environment is a top priority,” says Steve Fronek, founder of Rainebrooke. “We are constantly on the look out for ways to reduce our footprint. By partnering with Carbonfund.org for a third year, we’re getting tips and advice from the best organization out there.” Rainebrooke continues to reduce its carbon footprint by finding new ways to efficiently operate its day to day business. In addition to recycling and maintaining an energy efficient office and warehouse, it has recently reconfigured its shipping system to reduce all paper waste by going to electronic storage of shipping documents. Check out Rainebrooke's gorgeous selection of laptop bags and cases at www.rainebrooke.com.

Formerly ubiquitous poster displays across the country are starting to disappear. Fading, vandalism, the need to constantly update displays and wasted paper are fueling the rise of digital signage across the country. Large venue spaces, retail stores and even hospitals are changing out their advertisements, news updates and donor recognition displays for energy-efficient digital signage. So is this an environmentally-friendly development? Eirik Frimann-Dahl of Norvision LLC says yes. Each of his displays dramatically cuts paper usage and the need to constantly design, print and manually update signage. Eirik says he can update a sign from halfway around the world with a click of a button. They are also equipped with carbon monitoring modules in each display to track energy usage and carbon emissions – which is great since they’re among the lowest power consuming displays on the market. As electronic waste has a large and growing international environmental footprint, all of Norvision’s displays are made to be easily recyclable. Norvision has installed their high tech displays in a variety of venues and retail locations, including at the Phoenix Suns, Fry’s Electronics, Kroger and many hospitals. Many have found that the signs not only decrease their waste disposal but also increase notice and sales. If you find yourself constantly changing posters or signs, check out Norvision to see if a digital sign is right for your business.