Carbon emissions

Technically greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Probably a larger story to tell here, in time. Especially because I'm a teacher of Carbon Accounting and Carbon Management courses at a local university . . . But for now we'll keep it simple.

We are probably 'carbon neutral' (net zero emissions from the household) for the sake of argument. But this is mainly through the purchase of carbon offsets - but then that's really the ONLY way to be 'carbon neutral' if you are alive.

I can't say that buying offsets and claiming carbon neutrality is absolutely the right way to go - but I spend money on this stuff to support the renewable power industry and other green initiatives and I think that's the best I can do AFTER I've minimised the emissions due to my own activities.

The carbon management mantra is:

• AVOID - cease making emissions in every place you can by stopping doing something. Ride a bike instead of driving a car to the local shops. Or switch off the light when you leave the room.
• REDUCE - if you must continue with an emissions making activity, then minimise the emissions by making that activity a low carbon intensive sort. So, if you can't take the bike, then take public transport instead of the car. Or replace that old light globe/bulb with a highly efficienct CFL.
• OFFSET - only after you've Avoided and Reduced as far as reasonably possible, then look at buying carbon offsets. This site will (in Australia) help you decide how to go . . . What happens with carbon offsets is basically that you pay someone money (typically $8-50 per tonne of carbon dioxide) to reduce emissions in some other place on you behalf.

How did we do this?

• We purchase Accredited Green Power from our electricity retailer (Origin Energy). This means that all of the mains electricity we use is ultimately (if not initially) purchased from wind farms.
• This costs only 5 cents extra per kWh (around a 25% premium over 'black power'). Maybe 50-60 cents per day to help save the planet. Good value, I'd say.
• We also have solar panels which provide 'green power' to our home and export it to the grid when we do not use it.
• We also purchase 'Green Gas' from Origin. Which means they invest in emissions reductions in places such as landfills, by collecting and burning methane gas.
• We purchase carbon offsets from GreenFleet to offset the emissions from our car (about 4 tonnes per year). Costs maybe $50-60 per year.
• We minimise the number of flights we take. VERY few in the last few years compared to our life in Hong Kong and compared with many families here.
• We purchase offsets for any flights we take, at the time we buy the ticket. All it takes is a couple of clicks and about $5-20 - almost nothing. Again I'm not utterly convinced this absolves me of flying carbon sin, but it's a start.