Terrapass

[rockmon1!]

our office has initiated the process of becomming Carbon Balanced. We have begun to consider the purchase of rapidly renewable resources to maintain our commitment to the earth. Those of us whom drive to work are being asked to consider purchasing credits towards becomming better stewards of the earth. This web site should be worthy of any Prius owner.

Check it out...

http://www.terrapass.com/

[daronspicher]

Want to do something good with a few bucks?

Find a couple who is saving money to adopt an orphan. Hand them cash and say.. "This is for you to use to help with your adoption expenses, have a good day". That will change the world... for parents, and for that orphan.

Find a Christian organization who specializes in feeding starving people. Send them a check. That will make a real difference for a hungry person.

A sticker on your bumper? I suppose someone is sitting in an office somewhere making $50 an hour waiting for your donation so they can address an envelope to you with your sticker in it. I'm not sure this changes the world.

[ShavenYak]

Originally posted by daronspicher@Mar 8 2006, 09:46 PM
Find a couple who is saving money to adopt an orphan.  Hand them cash and say.. "This is for you to use to help with your adoption expenses, have a good day".  That will change the world... for parents, and for that orphan.

That's a great idea. But it and the Terrapass don't have to be mutually exclusive.

Find a Christian organization who specializes in feeding starving people.  Send them a check.  That will make a real difference for a hungry person.

Surely the starving people would also accept food from a Jewish or Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist or even a secular organization as well? Why would I need to give my money to a Christian organization?

A sticker on your bumper?  I suppose someone is sitting in an office somewhere making $50 an hour waiting for your donation so they can address an envelope to you with your sticker in it.  I'm not sure this changes the world.

Well, according to their website, "TerraPass funds clean energy projects that reduce industrial carbon dioxide emissions. Your TerraPass is third-party certified to reduce the equivalent of your car’s carbon dioxide pollution."

I'm not sure it changes the world, either, but it sounds like there's more than just a sticker involved. And I seriously doubt the someone mailing the stickers out is getting $50/hr for it. If buying one makes someone feel better about driving their car, good on 'em.

[Emma]

"Me and my car are doing something good for the planet."

Back to English 101 for the person who came up with THAT slogan. Ugh.

There's a reason I'm known elsewhere as The Grammar Bitch.

[ScottY]

hahaha... for the fun of it, I put in H2 and get the emission report. Here's what terrapass said,

Your car emits 37,622 lbs of CO2 per year.
You should get 2 Utility TerraPasses.

Emissions report
Vehicle – 2005 Hummer H2 SUT automatic transmission
Mileage – 13 mpg (city), 13 mpg (highway)
Fuel use – 1,923 gallons per year
Emissions – 37,622 lbs CO2 per year

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prius:

Your car emits 8,804 lbs of CO2 per year.
You should get a Standard TerraPass.

Emissions report
Vehicle – 2005 Toyota Prius automatic transmission
Mileage – 60 mpg (city), 51 mpg (highway)
Fuel use – 450 gallons per year
Emissions – 8,804 lbs CO2 per year

[flareak]

they are basing CO2 emissions by how many gallons you use per year.

is this an accurate figure for the prius? i thought atkinson cycle engines produced less exhaust.

and why only CO2? Where's NOX, etc?

[koa]

They are a little vague on their operating expenses. They say they are a for profit company with a 10% profit margin. How much of your $30.00 goes to the actual farmer and his cows? Syriana and Terrapass are partners in what way?

A quick search shows this was started in a college classroom.

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/conte...050715_6326.htm

Seems like you could do better buying directly at the Chicago Climate Exchange

http://www.env-econ.net/2005/06/psst_wanna_buy_.html

Chicago Climate Exchange

http://www.chicagoclimatex.com/

[EricGo]

Originally posted by daronspicher@Mar 8 2006, 10:46 PM
Find a Christian organization ...

[snapback]222532[/snapback]

The mantra seems to go something like this:

A hungry infidel is a good infidel
A starving infidel is even better !

Food for brainwashing.

[ShavenYak]

Originally posted by flareak@Mar 9 2006, 02:59 PM
they are basing CO2 emissions by how many gallons you use per year.

is this an accurate figure for the prius? i thought atkinson cycle engines produced less exhaust.

and why only CO2?  Where's NOX, etc?

[snapback]222842[/snapback]

The CO2 emission is directly related to amount of fuel burned - it doesn't matter whether your engine is Otto, Atkinson, Diesel, Wankel, a gas turbine, or a gasoline-fired steam engine. Simplified chemistry: X amount of hydrocarbon + Y amount of oxygen yields Z amount of CO2 + W amount of H2O. The purity of fuel and thoroughness of burning may affect that somewhat, but probably by a smaller percentage than the variability of EPA estimates.

I'm guessing TerraPass isn't concerned with NOx because:
1. it's impossible to compute solely by amount of gas burned, and
b. there isn't already an infrastructure in place to trade offsets in NOX like there is for CO2 (thanks to Kyoto).

[richard schumacher]

Originally posted by flareak@Mar 9 2006, 02:59 PM
they are basing CO2 emissions by how many gallons you use per year.  is this an accurate figure for the prius? i thought atkinson cycle engines produced less exhaust.

Their method is completely accurate. One gallon of gasoline makes about 21 pounds-mass (nearly 10 kg) of CO2 regardless of how it was oxidized or how efficiently the heat produced thereby was used. The MPG of the car burning the gas doesn't matter because MPG only measures how efficiently a system of car+driver makes use of the gas that was burned. (Note also that MPG is a figure of merit for the system of car+driver, not for an engine by itself.)

and why only CO2?  Where's NOX, etc?

[snapback]222842[/snapback]

NOX etc don't persist very long in the atmosphere and so harm only things near the source. CO2 persists on average for hundreds of years and harms the entire planet.