Feb. 13, 2009 Other than the fact that this cute lil’ cow looks in dire need of Prozac, this “cause-marketing” green Valentine’s Day idea is uplifting, customizable, and fun/fast delivery for all you guys and gals that didn’t get MOOOOOOOving in time to send greetings to loved ones before Cupid’s arrow left the quiver!
The cool lil’ carbon offset e-card from TerraPass costs $2.95 and funds the emission reductions of a dozen cows (or a dairy cow’s manure for a dozen days if it’s easier to grok.)
Kiddies will love the er, um…scatological humor of the more crude variation, using the “roses are red, violets are blue” poem (use your imagination folks, it’s not a stretch) complete with an e-graphic plopped on…Either e-card represents a reduction of 500lbs of CO2, the average emissions from two week’s driving, a short flight, or um…over a week of stinky stuff from the bovine crew. So why isn’t this poor critter smiling? Maybe it has gas. ouch.
TerraPass also offers a helpful blog with data on global warming and more about TerraPass’ calculations of carbon offsets, complete with handy dandy carbon footprint calculator for kiddies to play the “what-if” game. (plug in your home, car, or air travel data)
And…If the e-card isn’t sweet enough for ya, you can always go for the Climate Change Chocolate bar.
Mind you, it’s $4.95 and marketed here in the S.F. Bay Area…BUT, ‘buy local’ pals will be quick to point out that the recyclable wrapper, even with its 15 tips for reducing your carbon footprint and 133 lbs of verified TerraPass carbon offsets…will only partially negate a long haul from New Zealand, where a quick click traces manufacturing headquarters to Bloomsberry & Co. even though this partnership page with Whole Foods Market notes it’s balanced out.
Aw, poo.
(Update 2-16-09: YiiPEE! Note comment section I’ve boxed and bolded re: the chocolate sold in the U.S. is produced in the U.S.! Thanks, Paul! Awesome!)
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Related Green Gift Ideas
Last Second Green Valentine’s Day Guide (Huffington Post)
Valentines That Give Back (Have Fun Do Good)
Valentines Out of Comic Books (Crafting for a Greener World)
Teens Turning Green Collection of Beauty Products
Fair Trade VDay Action Kit (Global Exchange)
Skip VDay & Still Please Your Love (Planet Green)
A Greener Valentine’s Day: Planting (Eco Childs Play)
DIY Eco-Friendly Craft Projects (ECP)
Get Your Green Valentines (ECP)
Here’s a sample of my sad cow, sent to myself (yah, REALLY sad!)
“jk” as the kids would say…;-) Enjoy!
I’ll also add that anyone interested in carbon offset info and CleanTech, might want to attend the Parc forum Th., which is always archived for those not in the region:
“Reminder: PARC Forum at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 19, 2009Location: George E. Pake Auditorium at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304
cleantech forum series
Emissions trading and carbon finance:
Harnessing market forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Alex Rau, Ph.D.
Climate Wedge Ltd.
Abstract:
Carbon trading has emerged as one of the most powerful mechanisms for incentivizing reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at scale. Following the lead of early initiatives successfully targetting acid rain pollutants in the US, governments around the world established cap-and-trade systems for reducing carbon emissions, most notably the so-called flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol and the EU’s domestic vehicle for achieving its collective Kyoto target, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). In their short history and with the US sitting on the sidelines, carbon markets have grown rapidly, reaching over $100 billion dollars of annual transactional value, spawning new business models for incentivizing clean energy and carbon reduction projects throughout the world, boosting the economic prospects of new low carbon technologies, and ultimately delivering billions of tons of reductions in carbon emissions. At the same time, serious design flaws in the regulations have reduced the effectiveness of the market and led to considerable public criticism, much of which can and must be corrected as the US develops its own cap-and-trade system.
The main objective of this talk is to introduce the fundamental concepts behind carbon trading and give the audience a practical feel for the mechanics of the existing international carbon markets. We will discuss in detail the two main markets: the EU ETS and its establishment of a real-time price signal on carbon emissions via liquid transactions in government-issued emissions allowances, and the Clean Development Mechanism and its framework for generating carbon assets from new projects which verifiably reduce emissions. How do these market mechanisms incentivize emissions abatement, what factors and events drive the price of carbon, and what have been the major project types and reduction strategies to date?
In light of PARC’s strong history in technology innovation and the Bay Area’s growing focus on cleantech venture development and investing, we will also address the complex process of converting the environmental benefits from new low-carbon technologies and clean energy projects into tradeable financial assets in the carbon markets. What exactly is a carbon asset, and how is it developed and monetized?
Finally, we will close by looking towards the next phase of carbon constraints as the US begins to develop its cap-and-trade system and the international community attempts to reach a post-2012 climate agreement. The sheer size of the US economy and emissions footprint means that a future US domestic carbon market will redefine carbon trading on the international scale. We will discuss the emerging US regulatory scheme and the likely characteristics of a US carbon market, and conclude with some brief thoughts about where emissions trading fits into the overall challenge of stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere at manageable levels of risk.
About the speaker:
Alex Rau is a founding partner of Climate Wedge Ltd, an independent firm pursuing principal investments and project development in the carbon markets and providing carbon finance and emissions trading related advisory services. Alex has over eight years of active experience in the carbon markets. He was previously part of the Climate Change Services team in PricewaterhouseCoopers’s Energy Corporate Finance practice in London, developing and structuring portfolios of carbon assets during the early stages of the Clean Development Mechanism market as well as designing Kyoto response strategies for multinational corporations. Dr. Rau has worked with numerous clients such as Cheyne Capital, McKinsey & Company, Rio Tinto, News Corporation, Electricite de France, and the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) on carbon-related issues. He also coauthored the original version of the Voluntary Carbon Standard, the most widely accepted trading standard for non-Kyoto carbon assets, and has published in journals ranging from Science to the Harvard Business Review. Dr. Rau has a Ph.D. in physics from Oxford University and a B.A. from Cornell University.
cleantech forum series:
The focus of the Cleantech Forum Series will be on new technologies as well as resource and policy issues that will shape the energy landscape over the next several decades. The Series will be held every Thursday starting on January 15, 2009 and ending on April 16, 2009. The Cleantech Forum Series is co-sponsored by PARC, Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI), University of California at Berkeley, and NASA Ames Research Center.”
Amy Jussel’s last blog post..Turning Up the Heat: Green Teen Videos On Climate Change
Interesting post and thanks for sharing. Some things in here I have not thought about before.
I’m going to bookmark this page so I can return and keep reading.
ASWESOME info, can’t wait till Valentines!
Hi, I would like to buy rights to the smooch image. Please email me and let me know if this is possible or if you need more information from me.
Thank you!
I don’t have those rights, Kyle, sorry, that’s why I just gave photo credit…ck w/sourcelink I called out?
There’s certainly absolutely nothing I really enjoy more compared to visiting this web-site every week following work. Thanks a lot for all the great posts!!