Carbon Offsetting A Small Business
The media-snacking green machine
(WORLD) For some time now, we at MediaSnackers have wanted to give back a little of what we’ve been sucking from the planet. We travel a lot as a business and though we already try to travel as efficiently and effectively as we can, we also want to instill a culture of ‘hey lets be considerate here’ into all our activities, future endeavours and operations.
Do we think we’re actually saving the planet here?
Not in the slightest. We know that it takes far more than a little bit of carbon offsetting in an already relatively efficient company to make a big dent in the worlds ozone. We’re doing it for the feel good factor and hopefully spreading a good vibe amongst others to try and do the same where possible.
With this in mind, I have been figuring out a simple way of logging our CO2 tonnage. Native Energy is the company I think looks good, as it is simple and clear and focusses on the travel we frequently use. Cars, buses, rail & planes. Punch in the details and it spews out the numbers. The price at the checkout is what we can spend on good causes. Each employee and freelancer gets access to a Google form to input their CO2 usage, where we can tot the numbers up at the end of the year.
So what will we do exactly?
Donate the funds to good causes: tree replantation, local environmental projects or charitable agencies. Giving the money directly to those that will benefit from it. People can suggest stuff, or we can pick our favourites, but either way, we get to feel good and some nice people get to benefit.
So without further ado:
Read about the MS Carbon Footprint part 1
Old paper image credit goes to http://ofruin-stock.deviantart.com/
May 4th, 2010
Good point DK. But what about carbon offsetting re the use of PCs – how much Green energy do you buy and even then what is the carbon output?
Here we I am working in a project for virtual forests:
http://www.appropedia.org/Category:Forest_Conflict
and yes there is an impact? How much will actually go to buy or money or awareness will be generated for buying / protecting the old growth forests?
Like this:
http://www.luonnonperintosaatio.fi/english/about-us
Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation
Hopefully we can tell some of this when the Twins Intercool exhibition moves on from Vienna to Leeds.
Is there an equivalent place in the UK? or charithy there that can be supported in other countries?? If so please add it to the appropedia website (its an open wiki for sharing etc.)
May 5th, 2010
Thanks for your comment Markus.
Mark actually wrote and created the above and I’m sure he’ll come back with suitable responses to your queries although re: PC (Mac) use – our biggest carbon ‘crime’ is our traveling so thought it a good place to start there. I’m sure as we develop this other factors such as our computer use will factor.
May 5th, 2010
Hey Markus,
Regarding Carbon offsetting our PC usage, as yet I don’t have a good way of figuring that out. For MediaSnackers, we’re a small company and responsible for our own machines and the way we choose to use them. Both myself and DK already have good practice of only running the machines that we need and shutting them off at the mains when they are no longer needed (for any great length of time) . Until such time as we learn of a better way of doing things, or amass more computer equipment / employee’s, I think this process will suffice for the time being. If you have ideas on how we could work better, I’d be interested in hearing them. Please leave a comment with your thoughts.
All the best.