Carbon Credit Buyers

Introduction:
When you calculate and purchase offsets, your purchase is used in one of three ways:

  1. Buying renewable energy credits (RECs) from solar, wind and biomass facilities around the country
  2. Funding reforestation projects through our partnership with organizations like American Forests
  3. Supporting other project-based carbon offset technologies — for example, new projects to increase energy efficiency.

Renewable Energy Credit:
Known as a renewable energy credit, a REC represents the environmental attributes of 1 MWh of power generated from renewable sources like wind, solar, hydro and biomass. Purchasing RECs ensures that more electricity comes from renewable energy sources, which reduces the amount of electricity generated from polluting fossil fuels. RECs may be used to offset CO2 emissions associated with electricity usage and other sources.

Forest Sequestration Offsets:
As they breathe, trees remove carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the air. By purchasing offsets, a portion of your investment goes towards carbon sequestration projects in the form of tree planting. Carbon sequestration means simply that carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere.

How do you verify carbon offsets?
Currently there is not one universally accepted and preferable certification scheme that has emerged for carbon offset products.

  • For offsets derived from Renewable Energy Credits, many are certified by the Green-e certification standard — the nation's leading independent certification and verification program administered by the Center for Resource Solutions. www.resource-solutions.org
  • Energy Efficiency offsets are sourced and verified by The Climate Trust, a leading non-profit organization that provides high quality greenhouse gas offset projects and advancing sound offset policy. The Climate Trust is widely acknowledged for their development of transparent, verifiable and additional offsets. Visit www.climatetrust.org for more information.
  • Carbon Financial Instruments (CFIs) purchased on the exchange are verified by The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX's) proprietary verification standards.

Carbon Credit Buyers:

  • Carbonfund.org
    Carbonfund.org is leading the fight against global warming climate change, making it easy and affordable for any individual, business or organization to eliminate their climate impact and hastening the transformation to a clean energy future... more

  • Carbon Neutral Alliance

    The Carbon Neutral Alliance is a program for sustainably-minded grantmakers, their grantees, and other environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help them reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their daily activities. By taking responsible action for their own carbon footprints, Alliance participants are recognized as leading by example and as enriching the work they already do to better the environment... more

  • The Climate Trust
    Invests in several types of CO2 offset projects, for example, working to increase the energy efficiency of buildings by reducing the electricity, natural gas and other fuels needed for heating, cooling and lighting... more

  • Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX)
    The world’s first and North America’s only legally binding rules-based greenhouse gas emissions allowance trading system, as well as the world’s only global system for emissions trading based on all six greenhouse gases... more

  • Natsource
    Natsource’s emissions business is comprised of three integrated business units. These are: (1) asset management services; (2) advisory and research services; and (3) transaction services. The three units possess significant expertise in the areas of climate change, renewable energy, and air quality, and leverage the staff’s commercial and policy experience and knowledge to help clients achieve their economic and environmental objectives.

    It is expected that public policies requiring firms to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase development of renewable energy will proliferate. It is likely that many of these policies will allow firms to utilize market instruments for compliance. This likely will result in increased demand for environmental commodities in the future.
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