The Green Room

Riding In Neutral
by Oliver St John

When former vice-president Al Gore set out to promote his movie "An Inconvenient Truth", a dire commentary on the perils of global warming, it was inevitable that his own touring - private jets, rental cars and the like - would add to the accumulated atmospheric pollution which Gore is in fact trying to combat. Paramount, the film's distributor, thus committed to making Gore's promotional tour "carbon neutral".

A carbon-neutral activity is one in which a party commits to producing a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions sufficient to offset the emissions caused by the activity itself. This is known as a "carbon offset" and is most commonly accomplished by planting trees and initiating tighter energy conservation and efficiency measures.

Other means of producing a carbon offset include:

* "harvesting" of greenhouse gases for use in other contexts, such as biofuels
* replacement of fossil-fuel energy with renewable resources such as geothermal, wind and solar energy
* carbon sequestration, a process by which excess carbon dioxide can be absorbed from the air and stored in natural repositories

Obviously, it is preferable to reduce production of carbon dioxide in the first place rather than offset it later - as such, many Web sites now provide the opportunity for you to calculate your 'carbon footprint' - the approximate yearly tonnage of carbon dioxide produced by your day-to-day activities. Harder to calculate, but still worth bearing in mind, is the secondary carbon footprint - carbon generated in bringing goods and services to you as a consumer.

It is inevitable, of course, that the very existence of humanity precludes a carbon footprint of zero; as we live and breathe, we produce more CO2 than we take in. Similarly, many of the constraints of modern living require a certain carbon footprint. Thus it is that we find the need to offset the footprint; six and a half billion people are producing carbon dioxide faster than the Earth can produce new plants to offset it alone.

There are a number of things you can do which will minimize your carbon footprint without costing you any extra money. These include:

* taking care to unplug chargeable devices (cellphones, BlackBerries, iPods) as soon as they have finished charging
* putting only as much water in the bathtub, mop bucket or kettle as you will need
* waiting until you have a full load before running the washer/dryer or dishwasher
* walking to destinations within a short distance rather than driving there
* turning off electrical items when not in use (in particular, computers, TVs and especially air conditioners and electric ovens can add to your carbon footprint)
* using the leftover water from cooking to water plants rather than using new water (the nutrients in the water will also help the plants thrive)
* defrosting your freezer regularly to minimize its energy consumption
* buying locally grown foods and locally-made goods in preference to imports (thus reducing the fuel used to bring the products to your area)

If you are willing to spend some extra money to help, there is still more that you can do, and most of it will save money in the long term:

* use "energy-saving" lightbulbs
* insulate your walls, attic and hot water tank
* replace your fridge/freezer with one of a higher energy efficiency rating
* when next shopping for a car, look into a hybrid, hydrogen-powered or biofuel-powered car
* use a printer capable of double-sided printing to reduce energy used in paper production

The Green Room is proudly carbon neutral. Our operation is completely offset by wind power provided by CommunityEnergy. Contact your own local utility provider about the possibility of a carbon offset in your own home or office.