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What is a Boston Green Certificate?
A Boston Green Certificate represents an investment in a carbon offset. Offsets are a way to counterbalance your greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by investing in technologies (e.g. solar power and energy efficiency) and other projects (e.g. tree planting) that will eliminate or absorb emissions elsewhere. Offsets put a monetary value on the reduction or elimination of GHG emissions, thereby factoring our environmental impact into the economy. The offset projects supported by the Boston CarbonPlus Calculator not only reduce the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere but also address the root cause of GHG emissions by supporting new, clean-energy technology. The projects supported by the Boston CarbonPlus Calculator are additional, meaning they would not happen without private investment. Boston Green Certificates will be verified to make sure that monies were spent on real, quantifiable offset projects, and an end-of-year report will publicly disclose this information.
Why would I make a financial contribution to offset my emissions?
The emission of greenhouse gases has been linked to climate change and its associated consequences, including global surface temperature increases, sea level rises (due to thermal expansion of ocean water) and rising atmospheric concentration of CO2. Possible future threats stemming from climate change include more frequent and severe droughts and floods, coastal destruction, changing growing seasons, and the displacement of millions of people. One of the primary sources of greenhouse gases is the burning of fossil fuels (e.g., oil, coal, gasoline).
There are two ways to mitigate climate change: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing carbon sinks. By donating money to offset your emissions, you will be contributing to both of these ends. Investment in Solar Boston and the Boston Energy Alliance promotes alternative technologies that reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for energy use. Planting trees with the Grow Boston Greener campaign adds to the overall tree canopy in the City of Boston, therefore enhancing the carbon sink of the Boston urban forest and increasing energy efficiency. Deforestation accounts for 18.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and planting trees in Boston counteracts this process .
Do offsets let people pollute more?
No. By offsetting your emissions, you are reducing the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In addition to taking action to reduce your emissions, offsets are a way for people to take responsibility for their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.
What makes this a CarbonPlus calculator?
By donating to the projects associated with the Boston CarbonPlus Calculator, you are not only offsetting your emissions to help the environment, you are helping the local economy and community. The funds will be used to retrofit old buildings to make them more energy efficient, install photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, and plant trees here in Boston. Other carbon calculators support tree planting projects in other states or other countries. These projects are valuable, but trees planted in Boston, in addition to offsetting CO2, provide other benefits such as improved air and water quality, social benefits (by providing spaces for neighbors to meet and recreate), and public health benefits. The installation of green technologies fosters green job creation and economic development.
Why does it cost more to donate in Boston?
Remember the days when carbon was "free" and nobody thought about it? Those days are over now that we realize the implications that climate change has on our communities and the world. After reducing the size of your carbon footprint, offsetting the remainder of your CO2 emissions is a socially and environmentally conscientious way to make a difference.
There are many places to buy carbon offsets online, and the prices vary considerably among programs based on how the carbon is offset. For example, many inexpensive carbon offsets are used to plant forests of trees in faraway places, including states in the western US and developing countries around the world. In many of these places, trees are inexpensive and relatively easy to plant because the trees are small and extra trees can be planted to ensure that enough will survive.
Your offset donation in Boston costs more because the projects are local – producing solar power for your home, office or school and planting trees in your neighborhood. The cost to plant healthy trees and keep them healthy to grow and absorb CO2 is $150 per ton. The cost to install solar panels and perform energy efficiency retrofits is much less and the blending of these and other local projects brings the cost of offsetting one ton of carbon in Boston to $20 per ton. Your contribution of $20 will purchase one Boston Green Certificate, equal to one ton of CO2.
Is my financial contribution tax-deductible?
Yes. When you offset your emissions you will receive a confirmation e-mail from Network for Good, our online contribution processing service. Be sure to save and/or print this e-mail for your tax records. For more information on the tax benefits of charitable contributions, .
All contributions made through the Boston CarbonPlus Calculator have a special designation in a City of Boston trust account. These funds will be directly allocated to , and the .
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