User:CarolynBP/Brighter planet

History
Middlebury College students Andy Rossmeissl and Jake Whitcomb first envisioned Brighter Planet in an Environmental Economics course taught by Professor Jon Isham. The students and their professor continued to pursue their interest beyond semester's end, and launched Brighter Planet in the summer of 2006. That fall, Pattie Prairie joined as CEO and the group launched its first product in the fall of 2007.

Brighter Planet's products and services have been used by over 100,000 individuals and businesses in all 50 states.

Carbon Project Portfolio
Brighter Planet's portfolio includes renewable energy and emissions-reduction projects in communities across the United States.

The projects generate carbon offsets through two different methods.

Methane digesters on farms

Anaerobic digestion takes place as bacteria eat through the cow manure, decomposing it and releasing methane gas as waste. The methane gas contained in the digester is then burned. Once the methane gas is captured and destroyed it can no longer significantly affect the climate.

Some carbon offsets are created by the reduction in methane emissions made possible by “avoided lagoon” storage of manure. Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas and its combustion in the generator prevents it from reaching the atmosphere.

Some carbon offsets are generated by using waste heat from the generator to boil water, because fuel oil burned on-site for water heating is greatly reduced. By reducing the amount of fuel oil combusted carbon emissions are avoided.

Locally-owned wind turbines

Kinetic energy from the wind gets converted into mechanical energy by a wind turbine. For every kWh of renewable electricity generated, one kWh less is generated by fossil fuel plants. The sale of offsets helps bring the upfront cost of these turbines to a workable level, substantially increasing the adoption rate for this distributed wind technology.

Quality Principles
Carbon Offset Policy R A T E

Brighter Planet's carbon offsets are Real, Additional, Transparent, and add Environmental and Social Value.

Real offsets mean permanent emissions reductions that are properly quantified, audited, and retired. They are neither double-counted nor double-sold, and are not invalidated by future events.

An additional project would not have been built in the absence of offset sales. Projects that are not additional provide no bona-fide emissions reduction. Brighter Planet's carbon offsets are additional under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Tool for the Assessment and Demonstration of Additionality.

Transparent offsets provide accountability and information in the absence of regulation. Brighter Planet's offset projects undergo a public comment period during consideration. Its project selection committee discloses all decisions, and sales are audited and retired annually.

Offsets that ensure added environmental and social value fight climate change while also addressing challenges like public health, poverty, biodiversity, and water quality through investment in community-based projects.

Partnerships
Brighter Planet partners with a diverse array of for-profit and non-profit organizations, large and small, that unite to provide solutions to the climate change crisis.

Brighter Planet teamed up with Bank of America and Visa Inc. to provide financial services products that help individuals fight climate change through the use of no fee credit cards and debit cards. A portion of normal customer spending is re-directed to fund carbon offsets in Brighter Planet's portfolio, at no additional cost to the cardholder.

Brighter Planet also partners with a diverse array of of organizations that promote environmentalism and social responsibility, from political action groups like 1Sky to environmental news sources like Grist.

Social Media Engagement
Brighter Planet engages actively in a variety of social media platforms.

In March of 2009 Brighter Planet launched EarthTweet, a channel for users of Twitter to discuss and share environmental issues, ideas, and information.

Brighter Planet's free social web application allows visitors to measure their carbon footprint, access a wide range of conservation tips, and connect and share environmental achievements and ideas.