The Ins and Outs of Carbon Offsets

These are just two of the more than 50 carbon offset retailers in today's market. So with so many offset options, how do you know if one is better than the other? Good carbon offsets should be verified or certified by a third party, meaning that they comply with the Gold Standard, the Voluntary Carbon Standard 2007 or the standards set by Green-e Climate.

Offsets sold by both Carbonfund and Native Energy are verified by The Gold Standard and VCS 2007. Meanwhile, Green-e Climate in February became the first U.S. certifier of consumer carbon offsets. To date, Green-e Climate has only certified carbon offsets from four retailers: 3Degrees, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Community Energy and Renewable Choice.

Reassess Your Carbon Neutrality

Once your business goes carbon neutral, you'll want to stay there. Reassess your carbon footprint annually. Unless your business operations change drastically, you'll be able to do this on your own with the help of a spreadsheet and a few online carbon footprint calculators. Your emissions are likely to fluctuate from year to year as technology evolves and employees become more aware of the impact of their activities. As the carbon offset market grows, emissions will likely change, too.

How do you stay on top of these changes? Consider forming a "green team." Employee volunteers can monitor your company's carbon footprint, look for ways to continually reduce your greenhouse gas emissions and assess your offset purchases to make sure they are the most appropriate choices for your company.