Can you be alive and carbon neutral?
John Edwards says his presidential campaign has joined the "carbon neutral" movement.
What the heck does that mean?
I get the part about reducing energy -- or at least saving what you can while you're consuming tons of energy traveling all over the country.
Here's where I'm lost: "After conserving energy, the campaign will purchase carbon offsets to make it carbon neutral. Carbon offsets allow one party to pay another to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide."
Let me see if I can make an analogy: I set out a container of garbage every week. But I hate that I'm adding to the solid waste accumulating in the landfill so I pay my neighbor NOT to set out his trash. (I don't know what he does with it, but that's his business.) So now I'm "garbage neutral," right?
Except my trash hasn't disappeared. It's still going to the landfill.
The Edwards campaign is working with NativeEnergy, a Vermont firm, on this carbon neutral project. Here's an explanation from the Web site.
You can google "carbon neutral" and find lots of companies doing the same thing. It's a trendy business.
One that has its critics, according to this AP story.
I have to be skeptical. Are these legitimate "offsets" for the energy you use? Who knows?
The bottom line, it seems to me, is that if you use energy ... you use energy.
We ran a cartoon last week that showed a man lying in his coffin. A woman comments, "He looks so, so, carbon neutral."
I suspect if you're alive, you're not carbon neutral.
Addendum: Poking fun at carbon neutrality.
Comments (18)
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This strikes me as the same logic that allows Al Gore to scold the U.S. public about their energy use, while living in a mansion that uses 20 times the electricity of the average American home.
Posted on March 14, 2007 9:36 AM
Exactly, because Al also claims to be carbon neutral ... but not like the guy in the coffin.
Posted on March 14, 2007 10:24 AM
Let's me see if I can make an analogy: I set out a container of garbage every week. But I hate that I'm adding to the solid waste accumulating in the landfill so I pay my neighbor NOT to set out his trash. (I don't know what he does with it, but that's his business.) So now I'm "garbage neutral," right?* Doug
Yep and not only that you could get arrested by your Garage Man. Just last week I got a written legal notice from my Garage Man that I had not put the Garage Trash Container close enough to the curb like about foot from the curb.
He also claim that if I did it again. I would be fine and most likey lose my City Garage Service forever and forward to the Police as a hazard to the health of the City.
I have decided to become Orwellian garage neutral by placing my garage behind the Kroger shopping center and blaming it on the large corporations for trashing the city.
Deal with it Garage Man!
What might be garage to one person could be a treasure for another person on e-bay?
Posted on March 14, 2007 10:31 AM
Connie, I am garage neutral because I don't have one. I park on the street.
Posted on March 14, 2007 10:52 AM
Doug, you don't understand the concept of carbon neutrality at all. The problem is that you are using logic.
Instead, think of carbon nuetrality as a magic trick that makes embarrassing things like huge energy bills and heated pools disappear. Or, more historically, as papal indulgences that allow one to sin at will and still receive entrance into heaven.
Posted on March 14, 2007 4:15 PM
A papal indulgence: Thanks, it's starting to clear up. The bigger the sin, the more you have to pay.
Posted on March 14, 2007 4:25 PM
Connie, I am garage neutral because I don't have one. I park on the street.* Doug
Well! I can understand that Doug! I am sure your Truck is a open 18 Wheeler dumpest with a sign on it that says . " The Pope dumps his garage here! For a dollar, your garage can go to heaven clean like Al Gore."
Posted on March 14, 2007 4:48 PM
Doug! You are nothing but a cabage head Liberal like Ed in this discussion to save a two car garage!
Posted on March 14, 2007 4:54 PM
Doug,
Al Gore has learned how to get rich off of the GW scare he is making. He's an owner in a company that sells carbon credits. As a matter of fact, he buys his carbon credits to offset his energy hog home from his himself! You have to admire his duplicity.
Posted on March 14, 2007 7:10 PM
"Can you be alive and carbon neutral?"
No. Duh. Good post, Doug. :)
Posted on March 15, 2007 1:34 AM
Thanks, Cara.
Stormy, interesting info. Gore's firm is Generation Investment Management. A spokesman claims it doesn't do carbon offsets:
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200703/NAT20070307a.html
More investigation may be needed.
Posted on March 15, 2007 9:30 AM
"The confusion, Campbell said, arose because GIM pays to offset the energy use of its operations and the personal emissions of its 23 employees, including Gore."
Since Gore is the Chairman of this company, in essence, he is buying carbon credits from himself. Buying carbon credits is a sham. It allows you to live as large as you like, but preach to the world about how "they" should live. It also seems that Gore is positioned to make money off of his GW campaign. I'm shocked that Big Al would do that! Is this a Convenient Truth?
Posted on March 15, 2007 10:00 AM
Good analysis, Stormy. I think you're right.
Posted on March 15, 2007 11:06 AM
I only wish the Al Gore logic worked for dieting.
I could stuff myself on hamburgers, cake and pizza, but then buy some "calorie credits" in order to remain "calorie neutral." That way, I'd never gain any weight.
Posted on March 15, 2007 12:21 PM
Hey doug,
why is it you always bash the democrats, but your mouth is always shut when the republicams do something illegal, immoral, or just plain stupid? Is it that you cannot bear to admit that you support the wrong party. For once I would like to hwearsomething objective come out of your mouth, or in this case your computer.
Posted on March 17, 2007 8:32 AM
Show me North Carolina Republicans who can match Jim Black or Mike Nifong and I'll criticize them just as strongly.
Posted on March 17, 2007 11:41 AM
Doug, how about Vernon Robinson for starters..and what about all those national republican dolts? you certainly don't mind poking fun at every national democrat you see. admit it Ddoug, you are totally non-objective. you ALWAYS have an excuse.
Posted on March 19, 2007 7:19 AM
I'm no fan of Vernon Robinson, but come on, he isn't a criminal.
Posted on March 19, 2007 8:48 AM