Offset Projects - Methods Used to Erase Emissions

The primary projects used to create new offsets range from Reforestation in the Brazilian Rainforest to Methane Sequestration in America's Midwest, with countless Alternative Energy and Efficiency projects in between.

We take the time to review how these projects operate and accomplish their ultimate goal of taking pollution out of the air. We have also organized the various Offset Providers according to which projects they offer. That way, if there is a specific project you like, you can find the corresponding company and use that project to offset your emissions.

Here is a brief description of how the four most common Offset Projects operate (click on any of the links to read a complete description).

Reforestation (or Tree Planting) projects are one of the most common and straightforward methods of reducing harmful Carbon Dioxide. Throughout their life, trees remove CO2 from the surrounding environment, convert it, and then release it as Oxygen. This process is even stronger in young trees, making Reforestation an especially effective method.

Alternative Energy projects have become quite fashionable lately. Typically consisting of large construction projects involving Solar, Wind, or Hydro power, the money from offsets is used to make these new power plants financially viable. Once the infrastructure is in place, years of clean power replace the dirty, fossil-fuel-intensive power that would have been used in its place.

Sequestration projects generally prevent the release of Methane, a Greenhouse Gas even more harmful than Carbon Dioxide. Often associated with livestock, Methane projects tend to exist in area where farming is quite common. Purchasing offsets for Sequestration help farms install new equipment which traps Methane, rather than releasing it into the atmosphere.

Efficiency can be accomplished in a variety of ways, but generally includes using the funds create by selling offsets to introduce new methods to places where wasteful, fossil-fuel-intensive practices are the norm. More likely to be implemented in developing nations, an Efficiency project might include introducing cleaner cooking methods to an area where cooking over open fires is the norm.

Check out the different Offset Projects available from our list of Offset Providers.