Carbon Off-setting

Carbon off-setting is a financial way of measuring metric tons of carbon dioxide to reduce its negative impact on the environment. Monies used to “off-set” go to projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gases, commonly those projects dealing with renewable energies such as wind farms as well as efficiency projects like the destruction of industrial pollutants.

Vancouver 2010 (VANOC) has set their carbon off-set goal at a whopping 300,000 metric tons! They have already handled the 110,000 tons produced by construction and transportation prior to the games – the big issue now is all of the pollution generated by people attending the Games from around the world. It has been estimated that between 150,000 - 190,000 tons of CO2 will be emitted by domestic and international flights and local hotel stays, and VANOC is asking travellers and the public to pitch in. Through Offsetters.ca, visitors can donate $25 to the off-setting cause – enough to counter one metric ton of waste – and receive a limited edition pin. Tourists can also calculate their own Olympics-related carbon footprint and off-set it on the site.