Want To Carbon-Offset Your Life?
Written by Olivia Richardson: 19-October-2007
Offset your life
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'Carbon offsetting' basically means that you 'erase' your carbon dioxide emissions by reducing emissions from entering the atmosphere somewhere else.
How is it offset? Some examples...
* Building solar power stations to replace diesel generator in remote outback communities
* Planting trees to absorb carbon from the atmosphere.
* Burying carbon underground to stop it from entering the atmosphere.
* Replacing high-energy products with energy-efficient ones.
The reality
So you probably won't have the time, money and resources to do all of the above yourself so that's where handy little organisations such as Neco, Carbon Neutral, Easy Being Green, Green Fleet and Trees For Life, etc. come in. You can go to their website, calculate your carbon emission value, pay the fee, then they do the rest for you.
How much am I looking at?
For one year:
Small car = $85
Medium car =$105
Large car = $140
And if you want to get really tricky:
Offset (for one year):
Your home (VIC) = $240
NSW = $203
TAS = $40 (go Tassie! I'm from there...)
SA = $203
ACT = $203
WA = $165
NT = $185
QLD = $ 185
Christmas day (12 guests) = $34.10
Christmas office party (up to 100 people) = $58
Cat = $8
Dog = $38.12
Your diet (red and white meat) = $64.35
Vegetarian = $21.45
Then there's flight carbon offsets...
Do your bit for the environment by carbon offsetting your domestic flights when you buy your ticket with your airline for around 80¢-$2. You can also offset other flights with certain airlines and with the carbon-offsetting organisations listed under 'The reality' section of this article.
