Real carbon offsets are third-party verified and meet the highest internationally recognized standards. An uncertified project provides no assurances that it is actually doing what you are paying it to do – making the investment inherently risky. One of the leading carbon offset standards is the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS). A wide variety of project types, including reforestation, are verified to this standard because it is an internationally recognized label of quality. Recently it was announced that this standard is getting updated.

According to BusinessGreen.com, “Under the new requirements, emission-reduction projects wishing to carry the popular Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) label will have to adhere to more detailed and stringent requirements governing how they achieve third-party verification for their projects… while all VCS-approved projects already require third-party approval from two separate verification bodies, previous guidance on how this should be achieved was open to some interpretation.”

Carbonfund.org supports projects that are third-party verified to the highest standards, including North America’s first project to meet both the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards with Gold Distinction and the VCS.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Our project in northeastern Louisiana, the Tensas National Wildlife Refuge Reforestation Project, has become the first reforestation carbon offset project in North America to achieve dual validation to the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) as well as the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards with Gold Distinction. This is a huge milestone not only for the organization, but for reforestation offset projects.

The Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit conservation organization with a climate initiative to validate and verify carbon offset projects, provided third-party validation that the project meets the two standards.

“Carbonfund.org’s first-ever CCB Gold and VCS dual validation project is a major milestone for the carbon offset industry, making Tensas among the highest quality, scientifically validated carbon reduction projects in the world,” said Carbonfund.org President Eric Carlson.

He continued, “Deforestation is responsible for about 25% of global warming, meaning reforestation and forest preservation are critical solutions to solving global warming. By providing the highest quality offsets through projects such as Tensas, Carbonfund.org is enabling individuals, businesses and organizations to take responsibility for their carbon footprint, and reduce and offset their climate impact.”

VCS validation ensures that the project is designed to deliver real, additional, measurable and permanent carbon offsets. Because the land in the Tensas Project has been deforested and fragmented for over 50 years prior to the project, it is considered an afforestation-type project.

“We are delighted that this robust project restoring native forest is the first to be validated against the CCB Standards in North America,” said Joanna Durbin, Director of the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance. “The Tensas Project is a great addition to the growing worldwide portfolio of multiple-benefit forest carbon projects using the standard.”

Bookmark It

Hide Sites