Newsletter - July 30, 2010
Dear Friends,
The changes make it easy for you to reduce your climate impact and take action on climate change. We encourage you to check out the site, and let us know what you think. Click here to view our site.
We also added 10 new projects that you can support to offset your carbon footprint and become carbon neutral. Each third-party validated project helps reduce global warming emissions and expands our reach in the world. Six of the projects are international.
Learn more about this and other exciting developments in this edition.
—Your Carbonfund.org Team
Carbonfund.org Unveils New Homepage & Features
In addition to a new look, we have added specific actions that you can take to reduce your climate impact. From easy steps to reduce your carbon footprint at home to offsetting your commute or vacation, the site lets you take these actions directly and easily. Test your "Climate IQ" by taking our quiz and check out our new feature,
"cool climate video" which will bring you fun and informative videos.
For businesses, the site provides direct ways to reduce and offset one’s office, events, shipping, travel and products. Find out why CarbonFree® products matter by viewing a video or learning about the products we've certified.
You’ll also be able to stay connected with Carbonfund.org easily with our blog and twitter feeds. If you use an iPhone or Android mobile phone, our partner CauseWorld has developed an application that enables you to offset carbon while shopping at retailers.
Click here to visit our website now! Please let us know your feedback by emailing us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
10 New Projects Make Our List to Support
These innovative projects are reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping our world achieve a clean energy future. Eight projects are in renewable energy, including wind power and projects reducing heat-trapping methane emissions from farms. Of these projects, five are located in India to help the country generate clean energy and reduce carbon emissions.
We’re also supporting a new reforestation project. The Nez Perce project in Idaho replants Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir on lands that were originally cleared for agriculture or destroyed by forest fire. Reforestation is beneficial not only for the local areas and to restore wildlife habitat, but to sequester CO2 emissions. An estimated 20,000 metric tons of emissions have been absorbed by the project’s 2,205 acres of trees.
Carbonfund.org is also supporting a project in New Zealand that is converting household use of traditional, energy-intensive lightbulbs to energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). The project has reduced nearly 75,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions and has the goal of expanding its distribution to 3 million CFLs to reduce an estimated 1 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
Please support these new and innovative projects: offset your carbon footprint today or make a donation. Thank you.
“Global Warming is Undeniable,” Warns New Government Report
The indicators reviewed in the government’s report, from surface and sea-surface temperatures to measurements of heat content in the oceans and sea levels, have all trended higher. Moreover, in the past 30 years, each decade has gotten warmer with the 2000′s being the warmest on record.
“The NOAA Report, in confirming the certainty and severity of climate change, is a call to action for policymakers, business leaders and individuals to reduce our climate impact,” said Eric Carlson, President, Carbonfund.org. “What makes this report compelling is that it shows the problem is far greater than rising sea levels and heat waves. World food supplies, public health and the viability of many populated areas are also in jeopardy.”
Over 300 scientists from 48 countries analyzed the climate data. “When we follow decade-to-decade trends using multiple data sets and independent analyses from around the world, we see clear and unmistakable signs of a warming world,” said Dr. Peter Stott, contributor to the report and head of climate monitoring and attribution at the UK Met Office Hadley Centre. You can view the report’s summary by clicking here or download the full report.
Pushing Ahead, without a Climate Bill—Yet
- Look around your home or office and make a list of ways you can further reduce your energy use or carbon footprint. Save money on utility bills too by making quick fixes, such as using more energy-efficient lighting or repairing a drafty window. Check out these simple ways to reduce your footprint.
- Contact your representatives in Congress to demand action on climate change. Let them know that you’re walking the walk by reducing your climate impact, and they should take the lead in reducing our country’s impact. Contact your representatives now.
- Get businesses you know, work at or buy from to reduce their climate impact. They can do so easily by becoming a CarbonFree® business or certifying products CarbonFree®.
- Offset the carbon footprint you can’t reduce in support of our third-party validated carbon offset projects. You can view our projects and calculate, offset your carbon footprint.
- Hold a local fundraiser to support Carbonfund.org. Help spread the word about the work we do in your community and collect donations through fun events like bake sales, or host a meet-up or dinner at home. You can make your collected donation here.
We thank you for your help and for all you do to fight climate change. We’d love to hear how you are reducing your carbon footprint and fighting global warming. Email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
When “Green Roof” Isn’t Possible, Turn it White
Green roofs can save energy while helping absorb CO2. In fact, the US Postal Service has installed the largest one in the Big Apple at its nearly 2.5-acre mail processing facility in Manhattan. The green roof there will help save the Postal Service about $1 million in energy expenses. That’s because the green roof reduces heating from the sun and the resulting air conditioning needed to keep the facility cool. Green roofs also have benefits such as reducing stormwater runoff, which can pollute waterways.
If a green roof isn’t right for your home or building because of its structure, costs or other reason, you could consider a white roof to reflect sunlight. Painting your roof white or covering it with white or reflective material can help keep your home or building cooler in the summer. Just keep in mind that in cooler climates a white roof, unless temporary, may reflect more sun than you want to keep your home or building warmer in the winter.
Interestingly, some computer simulations have found that if every roof in every city of the world were white, the average global temperature reduction could be as much as 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s significant because even a 1-degree change in temperature can have substantial effects on the planet’s ice caps, oceans and weather patterns.
Our New Partners
Businesses large & small have joined as Carbonfund.org partners by making donations, offsetting their business carbon footprint, or by certifying products CarbonFree®. We welcome these partners to the Carbonfund.org family and encourage you to visit their websites to learn more about them.
Anne Penniman Associates LLC offers a broad range of landscape architecture design services for residential and public clients. Their design process begins with revealing the inherent potential of each landscape with a thorough analysis of the existing architectural and ecological characteristics of the site. They integrate the programmatic requirements of clients with sustainable design principles such as local materials, native plants and low impact practices. www.annepenniman.com
Collars with Color makes handmade and customized dog & cat collars, leashes and harnesses. These are made from organic cotton linen, hemp, and for buckles and sliders recycled plastic. You can purchase directly from the website at: www.collarswithcolor.com
All American Bail Bonds is a bail bonding company operating throughout the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Known by their peers as leaders in the industry, the company began a 0% down offer for those unable to pay the full 10% premium upfront and has also maintained an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. www.allamericanbailbonds.net
NurseryNotice.com delivers online birth announcements. Unlike a typical printed birth announcement, a Nursery Notice is the new way to announce your little one’s arrival. It’s a stylish, personal, eco-friendly website created entirely for your baby. You personalize it with birth details and photos, and it includes a guestbook for friends and family to sign! You upload a list of recipient email addresses that receive a link to your Nursery Notice when you're ready. You can also purchase your Nursery Notice on CD to have a lasting copy and your entire guestbook in one package. www.nurserynotice.com
You too can become a partner of Carbonfund.org. Please click here.
Learn More
“Global Warming is Undeniable”
- Watch this video on the government’s report and what it means for our planet
- Find out how you can reduce your climate impact
- Learn about Carbonfund.org’s innovative projects to fight climate change
When “Green Roof” Isn’t Possible, Turn it White
- Check out this time-lapse video of the Postal Service’s green roof in Manhattan
- Glimpse into the future, when hi-tech roof tiles change color with temperatures
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