Carbonfund.org Now Offsetting 4 Billion Pounds of CO2 Emissions, Supporting Growth of Innovative Carbon Reduction Projects

Reflecting interest among individuals, businesses and organizations in taking responsibility for their carbon footprints and fighting global warming, Carbonfund.org has reached a new organizational milestone.

Silver Spring, MD, December 12, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Through growth in partnerships and individual support, including major partnerships, Carbonfund.org today announced it is offsetting over 4 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Just over a month ago, the organization made “one of the most momentous strides in combating climate change made so far,” according to one media outlet by offsetting 3 billion pounds of CO2.

“We have reached the 4 billion pound milestone through individuals, companies and organizations showing leadership by taking responsibility for their carbon footprints and joining our fight against global warming,” said Eric Carlson, Carbonfund.org’s president. “Four billion pounds means we are offsetting more CO2 than some countries emit over the course of a year.”

The amount of CO2 that Carbonfund.org is now offsetting is equivalent to the CO2 emissions of over 205 million gallons of gasoline consumed, or 4.2 million barrels of oil consumed, based on EPA and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) figures. Four billion pounds is also equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of over 332,000 passenger vehicles, or CO2 emissions from the electricity use of over 240,000 American homes for a year.

As the leading nonprofit provider of carbon offsets, Carbonfund.org also provides information and conducts outreach on reducing carbon emissions. The organization’s motto, “Reduce what you can, offset what you can’t,” encourages everyone to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint and then eliminate their footprint by offsetting through support of offset projects. Carbonfund.org’s offset projects are in the areas of reforestation, renewable energy, and energy efficiency, and are all third-party validated to meet the highest international standards.

Recent major partnerships include Hyundai Motor America and Virgin America. The airline recently began offering travelers a flight-offset option when booking online and will soon offer an in-flight option to offset via the seatback entertainment system. Carbonfund.org’s partnership with Virgin America supports a methane capture project in California and a truck stop electrification, energy-efficiency project to reduce diesel consumption by idling trucks. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor America is offsetting the emissions of all ‘09 Genesis cars sold in 2009. The Hyundai Genesis Forest Project is offsetting 93,170 metric tons of CO2 through permanent conservation and reforestation of more than 3,000 acres of tropical forest in Brazil using the Social Carbon™ Methodology developed by the Ecologica Institute.

Among Carbonfund.org’s projects that have seen substantial growth is the Tensas River Reforestation project in Louisiana. In addition to sequestering carbon dioxide emissions, the new forest will restore native bottomland hardwood species to the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge and help protect over 400 threatened species. The project has grown to 1,870 acres from 1,100 acres in the past year and is offsetting over 600,000 tons of CO2. In renewable energy, including wind, solar and biomass, Carbonfund.org is supporting over 81 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy.

More details on their projects can be found at http://www.carbonfund.org/site/pages/our_projects.

###

About Carbonfund.org

Carbonfund.org is the country’s leading nonprofit carbon reduction and offset organization, making it easy and affordable for individuals, businesses and organizations to reduce their climate impact. Carbon offsets enable individuals and businesses to reduce carbon dioxide emissions they are responsible for in their everyday lives by supporting third-party validated renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects where they are most cost effective. Carbonfund.org has over 400,000 individual supporters and works with over 1,000 corporate and nonprofit partners including Discovery, Avis Budget Group, Amtrak, Volkswagen, Dell, and Staples. Visit http://www.carbonfund.org.
Contact
Carbonfund.org
Ivan Chan
240-247-0630
www.carbonfund.org
ContactContact
Categories