Posts by: astern

Carbon Offsets, Consumer Protection, and the FTC (Part 2)

Following TerraPass' participation at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) workshop on carbon offsets held in Washington on January 8, we have now submitted our written comments. You can download them here (pdf). Preparing these comments gave us the chance to summarize our views on what it takes to deliver high-quality, independently verified offsets to consumers and businesses. We described our… read more →

What’s the FTC got to do with carbon offsets?

Even a year ago, it would have been hard to imagine that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) -- the federal agency responsible for protecting consumers from misleading marketing claims -- would have any reason to wade into the world of climate change and cow power. But last week I went to Washington to represent TerraPass at an FTC hearing on… read more →

Bike commute update: GEICO drops my insurance rate

A quick update on my bike commute: This morning I called GEICO to see if my reduced driving habits would lead to a lower insurance rate. I told the agent that by biking to work and for errands I would drive 3,000 miles less for the year. I also reported that I no longer parked my car in the public… read more →

How TerraPass turned me into a bike commuter

Can bicycles really make a difference in fighting global warming? I had been pondering this question for several months, especially as I watched my colleague Tom bike to work from his home in Menlo Park to our office in San Francisco with an assist from the special bike cars on Caltrain. Tom was riding almost every day, rain or shine.… read more →

Tony Blair for Climate Czar

In modern American governments, presidents have delegated intractable policy problems to individuals who officially (or unofficially) became known as czars. Frank Zarb was Energy Czar during the first U.S. energy crisis, General Barry McCaffrey was Drug Czar under President Clinton, and most recently, President Bush appointed Lt. General Douglas Lute as War Czar to coordinate U.S. activities in Iraq and… read more →

Horse race update: a personal encounter with John Edwards

I was part of a group of environmental and business leaders invited to meet with presidential candidate John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth in the San Francisco Bay Area last Saturday. The gathering was a chance to give Edwards advice on environmental policy, especially about addressing global warming. (Please note: I was not representing TerraPass at the meeting, nor am… read more →

Flexcar teams up with TerraPass to reduce carbon emissions

In TerraPass' continuing quest for new approaches to reduce auto-related carbon emissions, we've become fans of Flexcar's car-sharing service. We have used Flexcar to travel to meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area when public transit wasn't readily available or bicycling wasn't practical. Maybe you have seen the blue and white logo on Flexcars (mostly small, fuel-efficient cars -- 30%… read more →

wikiHow on how to buy a carbon offset

Congrats to the team at wikiHow for using TerraPass to offset the carbon emissions from running their web site, commuting, business travel, and office operations. If you're not familiar with wikiHow, it's a remarkable site that offers a "how to" on just about everything. My favorite: “How to Calculate Pi by Throwing Frozen Hot Dogs." There are many other useful… read more →

TerraPass goes to Hollywood

Aside from the occasional clip on YouTube, we don't have much time to watch TV at TerraPass. But that may change now that we've seen the first episode of Ed Begley, Jr.'s new green reality show “Living With Ed." Tom and I dropped into Hollywood last night (unfamiliar territory for us) to see the premiere of Ed's program. Once our… read more →

What does Hanukkah have to do with global warming?

As the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah begins this Friday, let's explore the environmental themes of this holiday and its message for today. The story of Judah Maccabee (190-160 BC) and how his small band of warriors overcame far more numerous forces to liberate Jerusalem has been an inspiration for 2,000 years. The miracle of the one-day supply of oil lasting… read more →
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