Consider this your environmental impact cheat sheet.

There’s Nothing Wrong With Going Back To The Basics

Carbon versus carbon emissions? Climate change versus global warming? We’re the first to admit, the world of carbon footprints can be pretty confusing. Click through these terms to find an explanation of some of the basic concepts behind our important environmental work.

  • A naturally occurring chemical element, like oxygen. Carbon is found in all living things and is known as the basis for life on Earth.

  • A carbon credit represents 1 metric ton of greenhouse gas emissions, in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2e), that has been avoided from entering or removed from the atmosphere.

    Carbon credits come from all types of projects that range from planting trees to capturing harmful gases in landfill.

    Carbon credits are then “used”, or retired, when an individual or organization purchases them and takes ownership of the carbon removal or avoidance.

  • The process in which carbon atoms move through the earth, plants, animals, oceans, and the atmosphere.

  • A release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This generally means the same thing as the terms greenhouse gases and/or pollution.

  • A representation of the total greenhouse gases caused by a person, event, organization, product, or activity. We measure carbon footprints in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (tCO2e).

  • Carbon footprints can be organized into three scopes. Scope 1 covers direct emissions of energy and fuel combusted onsite. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from your utility consumption. Scope 3 covers indirect emissions from your operations and/or lifestyles, which includes your company’s supply chain.

    While you’re able to control some of the actions you take with Scope 1 emissions (by performing energy upgrades, traveling less, etc), Scope 3 actions can be a little more out of your control.

  • An action to compensate for carbon emissions in the atmosphere either by removing emissions directly (think trees taking in CO2) or preventing them from being emitted in the first place (think about the carbon savings from changing inefficient light bulbs to LEDs).

    As humans who naturally breathe out carbon emissions, we’ll never achieve a zero carbon footprint on our own, so carbon offsetting can bridge the gap.

  • A claim made when carbon emissions/greenhouse gases/pollution produced by a business/individual have been balanced by an equivalent amount of carbon savings, often from purchasing carbon credits.

  • A long-term change in the Earth’s climate. Climate change effects vary based on location and conditions. Climate change is a natural process. However, the past century has experienced rapid levels of change, primarily driven by human activities and the burning of fossil fuels.

  • The average increase in Earth’s global surface temperature. Global warming is one way Earth’s climates are changing.

  • Gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat just like a greenhouse does for plants.

  • A standard unit for measuring greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide, along with other types of greenhouse gases, are translated into this single unit to express the warming effect greenhouse gasses have on our atmosphere as if they were carbon dioxide. 

    Tonnes, also known as metric ton, is a unit of measurement in the standard metric system and is equal to 2,204.6 pounds (lb).

Carbon Credit Project Type Definitions

  • Afforestation is planting trees in areas that have not had forests in the past, creating new ecosystems. Reforestation is planting trees in areas where there used to be forests, restoring old ecosystems. This project type works by removing carbon via storing carbon in the trees as they photosynthesize and grow.

  • This project type focuses on improving management techniques for forests to decrease emissions and store more carbon. Responsibly managing forests enables them to store more carbon for longer periods and maintains the long-term health of ecosystems. In other words, the efficiency of forests’ capture and storage of carbon is increased through these practices.

  • Adipic acid is one of the most produced synthetic chemicals in the US and nitrous oxide (N2O) is a byproduct of its creation. This project type installs N2O emission control technologies at adipic acid production facilities to reduce N2O emissions.

  • This project type reduces emissions and harmful air pollution by capturing and destroying methane from landfills that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere. The gas is either used as a replacement for fossil fuels in electricity or destroyed through high heat or chemical reactions that break down the methane into less harmful gasses.

  • This project type involves repurposing waste to reduce emissions and conserve resources. Examples include diverting waste from landfills and transforming it into renewable electricity, or creating biogas from manure or composting.

  • This project type focuses on optimizing routes for fleets of vehicles to facilitate the movement of goods across various transportation modes. By enhancing the efficiency of transportation methods, the project type aims to reduce emissions associated with freight movement.

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