ABOUT US

Offsetting Emissions

Carbon offsetting as part of a "carbon neutral" lifestyle has gained some appeal and momentum, mainly among consumers in western countries. These consumers have become concerned about the negative effects of their energy-intensive lifestyles and economies. As a western industrialized nation, we use huge amounts of energy and release the highest proportion of carbon into the global environment. As stewards of God’s good creation, this is a faith and justice issue.

One way to address this is to voluntarily purchase carbon offsets to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions from electricity use, transportation and other sources. For example, an individual might purchase carbon offsets to compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions caused by personal air travel. In 2006, about $91 million of carbon offsets were purchased in the voluntary market, representing about 24 million metric tons of CO2 reduction. The offsets then, in the form of currency, are donated to renewable energy projects such as wind farms, biomass energy, hydroelectric dams, energy efficiency projects, forestry projects, etc.

What we are doing

When we as the CAC Sustainability Committee realized our huge carbon footprint-- incurred from flights to and from conferences around the world-- we began to look at models for repaying this “debt” to the earth. We have begun to examine our collective staff footprint in terms of air travel. We are committed to voluntarily offsetting our carbon emissions by calculating our collective carbon load and donating this offset to The Center for Christian Services Foundation (FUNCEDESCRI), a nonpartisan, Guatemalan not-for-profit private foundation which promotes social and economic development alternatives among families living in village conditions of extreme poverty. The Center’s forest covers an area of 407 acres. The highest section, around 2,000 meters above sea level (6,500 feet) is classified as Sub-Tropical, Very Humid, Cloud Forest, and the lower elevations to 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) are classified as Lower Mountain Rain Forest.

A careful Forest Management Plan allows FUNCEDESCRI to maintain a permanent tree nursery, using the seeds and seedlings from selected species in the forest site. They continue to reforest the clear-cut areas and keep in check the weeds and brush that invade the reforested areas. There is also small-scale processing of forestry products including lumber and essential oils from plants, as well as training sessions in specific themes for groups of villagers, university students, and technicians interested in learning practical methods to sustainably manage forest resources.

What you can do