KNOWLEDGE CENTER

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about Verified Emission Reductions (VERs, aka carbon offsets)
Questions About Renewable Energy Certificates
Questions about Climate Change
Questions About Conventional and Renewable Energy
Questions About 3Degrees

I. Questions about Verified Emission Reductions (VERs, aka carbon offsets)

How does 3Degrees select and ensure the quality of the Verified Emission Reductions (aka, carbon offsets) it offers?

There are four essential high level criteria that each carbon offset project must satisfy:

Real: The quantified greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions must represent actual emission reductions that have already occurred.
Additional: The project-based GHG reductions must be beyond what would have happened anyway or in a business-as-usual scenario.
Permanent: The GHG reductions must be permanent and can be backed by guarantees if they are reversed (e.g. re-emitted into the atmosphere).
Verifiable: The GHG reductions must result from projects whose performance can be readily and accurately quantified, monitored and verified.

For additional information on the principles 3Degrees applies to screening offset projects please visit: VER Project Selection. (top)

How do Verified Emission Reductions affect climate change? Will it make a difference?

A Verified (CO2) Emission Reduction is a reduction of one ton of greenhouse gas (GHG) carbon equivalent below a defined baseline or regulatory requirement. VERs allow GHG emitters to “balance” emissions of GHGs produced in one place by procuring GHG reductions from somewhere else (whether next door or around the world), thus meeting either voluntary or mandatory emissions reduction targets. Stringent sourcing criteria and third-party verification ensure that 3Degrees VERs truly represent real emission reductions. (top)

How are VERs and RECs different?

A Verified Emission Reduction (VER) is a reduction of one ton of greenhouse gas carbon equivalent resulting from a variety of project activities: methane capture, sustainable forestry, fuel switching etc. Companies use VERs to “balance” emissions of GHGs produced in one place by procuring GHG reductions from somewhere else. This procurement is usually done after making attempts to reduce emissions and if there are no available clean substitutes.

A Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) represents one megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable electricity generated and delivered somewhere on the power grid. Each MWh of clean renewable electricity results in one less MWh of dirty power. Therefore a Renewable Energy Certificate also represents the environmental benefits of replacing dirty power with clean power. Since all homes and businesses use electricity that causes significant GHG emissions, 3Degrees recommends purchase of RECs to balance up to 100% of your electricity consumption.

RECs are a way to “green” your electricity through an alternative energy source ,and VERs offer a way to balance out your unavoidable emissions from activities that currently have no alternative. These products are available to everybody and should only be purchased after you have reduced your carbon footprint as much as possible through energy efficiency and conservation measures. (top)

When should I buy a REC and when should I buy a VER?

When green substitutes are available, such as renewable energy for electricity, it is preferable to replace the dirty choice with a clean choice so that we are leading the way forward to building demand for sustainable solutions. That is why renewable energy, such as Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), is the most preferred alternative for electricity consumption. After reducing your emissions as much as possible though conservation and efficiency, as well as supporting renewable energy, carbon offsets (VERs) help you balance out the rest of your unavoidable emissions from activities where there are no green substitutes readily available. For most companies electricity consumption is the largest source of GHG emissions, so supporting renewable energy to match this consumption is a logical choice. Unfortunately, there are some activities with no green alternative, such as airplane travel. We can reduce our flying and increase our video and teleconferencing use, but if you must fly then you should purchase Verified Emission Reductions to offset this activity. (top)

What types of projects does 3Degrees invest in?

3Degrees' U.S. based VER projects include methane capture, renewable energy, and conservation-based forest management projects. Methane capture projects include coal mine methane, agricultural methane, and landfill gas. International VER projects include renewable energy and agriculture methane. We are adding new projects and categories to the list as the carbon market grows. Aside from reducing emissions, many of the projects we support produce additional sustainable development co-benefits. See some examples of the projects we support through commitments by our customers. (top)

Are the emissions reductions from 3Degrees projects independently verified?

Yes. 3Degrees only sources VERs from carbon projects that have been verified by an independent third party. 3Degrees requires VERs to be verified by independent verifiers that are approved by the institution that created the emission reduction protocol, and where the protocol is created through a transparent multi-stakeholder process. (top)

Do 3Degrees projects meet external high quality standards?

3Degrees sources Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) from the following external high quality standards: Gold Standard, California Climate Action Registry (CCAR), Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS), Community, Climate and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA), UNFCC Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), VER+, and selected offset protocols of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX). We strongly believe in transparency and believe there is no place in the carbon markets for standards created by the companies that buy and sell offsets. We see this as a clear conflict of interest. Ultimately, we believe strongly in market standardization to bolster consumer confidence in the carbon market. We are weary of vendors that use “proprietary” verification standards that are not in the public domain and lack public input. (top)

Can 3Degrees demonstrate that its offsets aren’t being sold to multiple buyers?

Most of the VERs we source are registered or will be registered (many of these registries are still forming now) in an institutional VER registry administered by the host organization that developed the VER protocol. These VER registries guard against double selling by providing unique serial numbers for each VER and provide transparency about each project that is registered. The status of each VER registry that 3Degrees currently uses is as follows:

In addition to the safeguards of a registry, 3Degrees contracts with the VER producers to transfer sole title of the carbon asset and all environmental claims associated with ownership to 3Degrees. Our contracts with suppliers contain clear Representations and Warranties to this effect. In addition, we require project developers/generators to attest to this fact again each time VERs are delivered to us under our agreements with them. Specifically, we request that our suppliers represent that the VERs were not separately sold, separately marketed, or otherwise separately represented as carbon reductions to any other parties. Beyond the above methodologies, all verification reports (conducted by independent verifiers) include a standard security check that verifies that the VERs are not double-sold. (top)

How does 3Degrees ensure that its projects genuinely go beyond what would have happened anyway; in other words that they are ‘additional’?

All of our projects have passed a defined additionality test. This can either involve demonstrating that the project is not common practice and goes beyond business as usual practices as well as legal and regulatory requirements, or it can be demonstrated by showing that revenue from the sale of offsets was critical to the financial viability of the project. Each protocol we use contains an additionality test. 3Degrees distinguishes between additionality tests applied by external third parties according to a specific protocol and additionality tests applied by the seller of an offset. 3Degrees first and foremost relies on the assessment of additionality performed by independent third parties in accordance with defined protocols for additionality. We provide supplemental project financial information that can be obtained through credible sources as an additional support for project additionality. (top)

Can I offset my footprint today with future emissions reductions?

For virtually all of our projects, we deliver VERs after the reduction is verified; this is key, because it means that the verification has already occurred and been verified. 3Degrees distinguishes between forward selling and forward crediting. Forward selling is a common and important practice in the carbon markets to secure income streams to projects and reduction streams to buyers who are making long-term environmental goals. 3Degrees makes 10-year forward commitments to VER projects in some cases. Forward crediting means making reductions claims against your present day footprint by using emission reductions that will occur sometime in the future. We see this as a problem because there’s no guarantee the emission reductions purchased will be generated by the project, and therefore today’s claim could be false. 3Degrees does not encourage making forward crediting claims.

There is not a single VER protocol or certification program that will certify forward credits prior to verification that the reductions have occurred. (top)

Can customers specify which projects their money will fund?

Absolutely. In fact, we strongly encourage it and specifically welcome companies that want to buy from specific projects. Our role in the carbon industry is to help educate partners about their options, steer them to appropriate projects that match corporate goals and educate them about the projects they support. (top)

Are voluntary emission reduction purchases just a way to avoid the essential, but more difficult step, of reducing emissions?

A purchase of VERs is not meant to be a stand-alone strategy to reduce your company’s carbon footprint. 3Degrees recommends a larger approach for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. Using energy more efficiently and shifting to renewable sources of energy are an excellent initial step. Using offsets to balance out your remaining unavoidable emissions is a prudent strategy with tangible GHG benefits. Remember, we all use electricity so switching to a green source of RECs is not the “easy way out”. It’s the renewable solution to the leading cause of industrial pollution. Purchasing RECs are widely recognized in GHG accounting programs. A corporation purchasing RECs can subtract the emissions reduction represented by the purchased RECs from the emissions caused by its electricity purchases. (top)

II. Questions About Renewable Energy Certificates

What are Renewable Energy Certificates?

To understand Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), you first need to understand what makes renewable energy desirable, as well as a little about how electricity is transmitted.

Renewable energy is basically: Commodity Electricity (Neutral Electrons) + Environmental Benefit (Renewable Energy Certificates)

Renewable energy needs to be separated into these two parts because of the nature of the energy grid. When electricity is transmitted through the power grid, it has no environmental attributes. It is simply made up of neutral electrons. There is no way to tell the difference between an electron that was delivered to the grid by a renewable power plant and one from a coal fired power plant. What is of concern is not the electrons themselves, but rather how the electron stream was generated.

Renewable energy is desirable because producing it doesn't cause the environmental damage associated with conventional electricity generation, and further, it doesn't influence our foreign policy. So, in essence, when you produce renewable energy, you are delivering both neutral electrons and environmental and social benefits.

Renewable Energy Certificates are a way for producers of renewable energy to sell the two parts separately. The certificates can be sold to anyone who wants to support renewable energy, while the electricity is sold on the open market without any claim about its environmental attributes. (top)

What is the benefit of buying Renewable Energy Certificates?

Since a given unit of green energy generated represents an 'input' into the grid, it therefore displaces the same amount of fossil fuel energy. Why? Following the oil embargo of 1973 and the subsequent National Energy Act of 1978, federal law mandated that those who manage the grid purchase renewable energy whenever it is available. An increase in demand for renewable energy will decrease the amount of fossil fuel energy generated. In addition, certificates can be key to building new, clean renewable generation facilities in the United States; new facilities are being built today based in part on certificate sales. Your purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) benefits the environment by increasing renewable energy generation, facilitating the construction of new renewable facilities, and displacing fossil generation from the electricity system. (top)

How are Renewable Energy Certificates similar to green electricity?

Similarities:

Renewable power facilities generate and deliver electricity within the same wholesale power market as conventional power facilities. Because all electricity is mixed together, any given customer does not physically receive electricity from the renewable power facility. Therefore, all customers in that market receive the same mix of power, whether they are purchasing green power, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) , or just conventional electricity.
The reliability and quality of the electricity an end user receives are the same.

Differences:

The primary difference between green power and Renewable Energy Certificates concerns the customer's contract path for obtaining the environmental attributes of renewable generation. In a green power transaction, the customer buys both. Renewable Energy Certificates and electricity from its retail electricity provider. Retail electricity providers typically source Renewable Energy Certificates either directly from renewable power facilities or from Renewable Energy Certificates providers like 3Degrees.
In a Renewable Energy Certificate transaction, the customer continues to buy commodity electricity from its retail electricity provider, but purchases Renewable Energy Certificates from a different provider. In other words, electricity and the environmental attributes of renewable generation are purchased separately, from two different providers in two different transactions. The customer can buy certificates from Renewable Energy Certificates providers or directly from the renewable power facilities.
With Green Electricity, the certificates are claimed by the same party that bought the commodity electricity, while with Renewable Energy Certificates, a third party claims the certificates to match with the third party's own commodity electricity consumption. Therefore, the only real difference between Renewable Energy Certificates and green electricity is how you pay for the environmental benefits of renewable energy.
Far from being a superior alternative, "renewable electricity" per se can even be impractical because delivering actual electrons requires changing your existing utility service. Since Renewable Energy Certificates and renewable electricity are so similar, there is no inherent advantage to buying actual renewable electricity. Both help clean the environment and have the exact same environmental impact. Both are priced at a premium to conventional electricity (oil, gas and coal). Renewable energy is becoming more competitive with conventional electricity production, but is still more expensive, due in part to the lower economies of scale of renewable energy facilities and the myriad subsidies given to the oil and gas industries. Both can be purchased on the open market, although in many states, it is much easier to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates.

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How do Renewable Energy Certificates work?

When a renewable energy generator produces electricity, it has two options: a) sell the green electricity on a contract to a willing buyer or b) sell the commodity electrons to the utility managing the grid and sell the remaining Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to a third party. Since that third party is already buying commodity electricity from somewhere else, its utility provider, for example, it only needs to buy the Certificates to claim the environmental benefit. Once the RECs are sold, the generator must produce an "attestation" form to complete the transaction. This proves that the generator actually produced the renewable energy purchased and acts as the operative instrument of the transaction. The generator, in turn, must submit its meter data to the power authorities, who do a detailed accounting on an annual basis. There is also a voluntary organization called "Green-e" that monitors such sales. Such organizations keep the system functioning smoothly with no room for fraud.

While there are places, generally in remote areas, that power themselves with propane, solar, or other fuel sources, most of us are intimately connected to the power lines that serve our communities. The interconnection of these power lines is referred to as "the grid." Anyone who produces electricity can feed it into the grid, and anyone who needs it can take it off the grid through his or her existing utility service provider. Utility companies control the grid in local or regional areas, monitoring how much electricity is being drawn from the grid and ensuring that enough electricity is being supplied. To meet consumer demand, utilities purchase electricity produced at area power plants, both renewable and dirty, and all of that electricity is mixed together in the grid. In the contiguous U.S. there are 3 main grids; the Western Grid (11 western states), the Eastern Grid (everything else) and the Texas Grid. (top)

How does renewable energy work on the grid?

Qualifying renewable power producers must register with the appropriate power trading authorities and are labeled as certified renewable power plants. After a plant is certified as renewable, those that manage the grid must purchase any output from that certified power plant, displacing conventional sources of fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal. Once the electricity is plugged into the grid, it makes no difference how it was produced, at least from the perspective of utility companies, because by then it is simply made up of electrons that are identical to the output of any other kind of power plant. For those that manage the grid, the only way in which renewable energy is different is that they must give it priority when purchasing, but that does not mean that they pay more for that electricity. In fact, they are required by law to supply their customers with the lowest cost energy available. As a result, renewable energy facilities receive the same payment per megawatt hour produced as do dirty power facilities. In a nutshell, the fact that the grid will give priority to, but not pay more for, renewable energy explains the need for breaking the energy into two portions: the electrons and the environmental benefits. (top)

Does the green energy come to my home?

Not exactly. If you wanted to receive the specific electrons generated by a specific renewable facility, you would have to string power lines from that facility to your home, which is prohibitively expensive and impractical. The grid was created in the first place to prevent such a situation. If you are connected to the grid and buy either renewable certificates or renewable energy, what you will buy is the claim to the production of the renewable power. This means that you will be able to legitimately claim that the power (and pollution associated with it) in your home is being offset by renewable energy. In many ways, the power grid is like a large bathtub with several faucets and several drains. Imagine that one faucet pumps out dirty water, while another faucet delivers clean, clear water. When you purchase renewable energy, you turn on the clean faucet and turn off the dirty one. The water that drains out of the bathtub is still pretty brown, but it is cleaner than it was before you turned on the clean faucet. In the same way, your renewable energy purchase helps the grid's fuel mix become cleaner, but the mixture on the grid is still rather brown. (top)

So, is it like a donation?

No. If you donate to a charity, you generally don't get anything tangible in return. In the case of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) , you get a tangible, verifiable statement that the actual megawatt hours you consume have been offset by an equivalent amount of renewable power. This provides a legitimate claim to the renewable energy. By purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (or renewable energy), you are given the right to make any truthful claim about your use of renewable energy. (top)

Who verifies that the transaction is legitimate?

3Degrees, like all legitimate resellers of Renewable Energy Certificates, sells Renewable Energy Certificates that have been certified by the Green-e Energy certification program (www.green-e.org), sponsored by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions, and is subject to a complex audit each year that accounts for every last megawatt hour of Renewable Energy Certificates sold, who sold it, who purchased it, where that energy was generated, and so on, until there is no question as to the proper origin and title of the certificates. This eliminates fraud and double counting, and helps to ensure customer confidence in their purchases. Such a protocol of auditing and monitoring is expensive, and Green-e charges a fee for its services to resellers. However, resellers are glad to pay such a fee for a monitoring service that insures the trust and confidence of its customers. (top)

Who is the Center for Resource Solutions?

The Center for Resource Solutions, the group that runs the Green-e® program, is a non-profit set up by 100+ different stakeholders, intended to provide a monitoring system for Renewable Energy Certificates and Verified Emission Reductions trading, among other things. In the absence of state or federal monitoring agencies for these kinds of trades, they remain the most respected and ethical body of regulators. For more information visit them at (www.resource-solutions.org) (top)

In some cases you are building new facilities and in other cases you are supporting new facilities that have already come online. The Center for Resource Solutions is a progressive organization and encourages its members to buy and sell "new" renewable resources, which mean facilities with an online operation date in the last 3 or 4 years. Supporting "new renewables" means putting a premium on new facilities and not just supporting ones that have been around for 10+ years. (top)

If a big polluter buys Renewable Energy Certificates, isn't it just a way for them to avoid being punished for polluting?

No. Many companies produce pollution in several ways. Energy use is generally a huge source of pollution, but many industries also produce other kinds of pollution during the manufacturing process. We must remember that the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates is a voluntary decision, while most of the familiar 'pollution credit' trading is based on a mandatory, federally regulated system in which there is an artificial "cap" on how much pollution is acceptable (subject to intense political lobbying, often by the polluters themselves). Companies that use green energy or Renewable Energy Certificates to run operations that produce other forms of pollution have the same claim to the green energy/certificates as companies that make environmentally neutral products. Both types of operations are objectively supporting renewable energy generators. (top)

Doesn't buying green energy or certificates allow companies to wage "greenwashing" campaigns?

"Greenwashing" refers to the co-opting of holistic concepts for cynical commercial and non-holistic business interests, and runs the gamut from deceptive claims to truthful statements with disingenuous intent. The key problem is consumer ignorance; otherwise, such campaigns would have little effect. As for green energy or Renewable Energy Certificates, companies must make truthful statements about legitimate products, regardless of intent. (top)

A market-based trading solution to renewable energy doesn't seem to have the same impact as a bio-diesel car or a solar rooftop-how can I be sure that I am actually contributing to environmental change?

Providing a market-based solution for people to exercise their values encourages innovation and prosperity within the renewable energy space. In fact, most skepticism about Renewable Energy Certificates arises from a lack of understanding of how the grid works and the operational realities of renewable power plants. The system we have in place benefits everyone by offering renewable power producers a way to sell renewable energy without having to find buyers every time the sun shines, the wind blows or the rains come. It also allows them to recoup their costs more easily and stay in business. The buyer gets a benefit by not having to change his or her existing electricity service, but still having claim to the benefits realized by buying green energy. The environment wins too, because more renewable energy is being generated and displaces the burning of fossil fuels. (top)

How much money of the Renewable Energy Certificates sale goes to the generators vs. how much money goes to the traders and marketers?

In general, certificates are bought in bulk and sold either wholesale or retail. This provides resellers with the margins needed to stay in business. Larger deals are generally done at a minimum of profit while smaller deals require larger margins, just like any other commodity. The profit depends on the operating model of the generator, wholesaler or retailer. Most of the money goes to the generator while the retailers or wholesalers mark up against what the markets will bear. (top)

Why is there a system in which the environmental benefits of renewable energy can be sold separately from the electricity?

The system was created to provide greater efficiency and flexibility for buyers and sellers. One key reason for sellers is distance: A renewable energy producer in the middle of nowhere can't always send electrons to densely populated cities where people might care about renewable energy, but he can sell the environmental attributes of this energy. This allows him to site the facility in the most appropriate place for generating energy and then sell to the most lucrative market for the benefits, free of delivery constraints. Another reason for the seller is time: Energy is not always produced when people need it most, yet when it displaces oil, gas and coal, the environmental benefits provided are just as important. With Renewable Energy Certificates, the generator sells the power to the grid at the moment it is generated but can sell the Certificates a day, month, or year later. This has the advantage of complete efficiency, selling each part of the energy to the easiest and most appropriate market. On the buyer's side, buying certificates makes it easy to purchase green electricity without involving the local utility and the kind of complex scheduling, transmission and delivery intricacies normally required to deliver actual power. Furthermore, for electricity consumers living in regulated energy markets where there is no choice between electricity service providers, certificates are often the only option for purchasing renewable energy (other than installing solar panels or other devices on site). (top)

What will customers of Renewable Energy Certificates receive?

3Degrees will send you a welcome kit with formal certificate validating your renewable energy purchase and quantification of your environmental impact. You will also receive a "I Choose Wind Power " sticker and magnet, and additional information on the Renewable Energy Certificates system and the facilities Renewable Energy Certificates support. In addition, 3Degrees will also send you our newsletter, The Thermometer, with information on the renewable energy marketplace, global warming, how companies are going green, and other tips on conservation and creating change. (top)

How much do Renewable Energy Certificates cost?

For residential and small commercial customers, 3Degrees provides Renewable Energy Certificates at a cost of an extra 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour for your home or business to be up to 100% “renewable powered.” For the average US residential customer who uses 900 kilowatt hours of electricity per month he/she will pay an extra $13.50 per month. This charge will be directly from 3Degrees and is in addition to your monthly electric bill for conventional energy.

Discounts are available for large volume commercial purchases and for non-profit organizations. To get an accurate reading of what it will cost, and to calculate your environmental footprint, please click here for the Carbon Footprint Calculator. Business and non-profit customers should contact 3Degrees for customized service. (top)

How will I be billed?

You may pay in full annually. Unfortunately, 3Degrees is not able to bill you through your local utility; therefore, you will still continue to pay your monthly bill to your local utility provider. 3Degrees will bill you separately for the renewable energy portion of your electricity. Once a certificate amount is established, you may have the fees deducted from your credit card/ATM. (top)

Will I have to change service with my local utility?

Participation in the Renewable Energy Certificates program will not alter your relationship between your home or business and its existing utility or electricity service provider, nor will it affect the quality or reliability of your electricity service. Renewable Energy Certificates are a separate program in which any organization or individual can participate, regardless of its current electricity provider or location. (top)

Will I have to install new equipment in my home?

No. Your electricity will continue to come through the same wires you use today and there will be no interruption of service. There will be no physical installation, set-up or additions to your home or business. (top)

Will the power to my home be dependent upon the wind blowing?

No. Your power will continue to be uninterrupted even when the wind isn’t blowing, because you are connected to the regional electricity system. The power that travels through the network of lines and wires that bring electricity to your home or business comes from a variety of generating sources, and is maintained by your electricity service provider as a stable and reliable flow of energy. Your support of Renewable Energy Certificates helps add more renewable energy sources to the national electricity system and has no affect on the reliability of your power. (top)

How reliable is my energy?

Renewable Energy Certificates are a separate program from your local utility and do not require any physical changes to your home or apartment. Therefore, you do not need to have approval from a landlord in order to participate in this program. Simply take the information from your electricity bill and input the electricity used each month into our Carbon Footprint Calculator. (top)

Can I still participate if I don't pay an electric utility bill?

You can still purchase renewable energy even if you do not pay a utility bill. The average house uses 926 kWh per month. The average apartment uses 450 kWh per month. You can input this number into our Carbon Footprint Calculator and purchase the equivalent amount of Renewable Energy Certificates. If you would like a more accurate account of your individual impact, please contact us by email or by phoning toll-free 866.476.9378.

Can I use Renewable Energy Certificates to get LEED Green Power points?

Under the USGBC Energy & Atmosphere Green Power Credit, LEED buildings may earn points by providing a portion of the building’s electricity from Green-e Energy Certified® RECs for at least two years. Additional point may frequently be earned by substantially exceeding this requirement. RECs are an easy and low-cost option to fulfill LEED requirements for green power. Purchasers do not have to change utility arrangements or install any new hardware. Learn more or contact a LEED Green Power Advisor to get a quote at LEED@3degreesinc.com.

III. Questions About Climate Change

What is Climate Change?

Climate change refers to the phenomenon that is causing the Earth to become warmer, which means that our climate and our weather systems are changing. Today, the Earth is hotter than it has been in two thousand years. According to NASA, 2007 tied with 1998 as the second warmest year on record. The eight warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998 (including 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007) and the 14 warmest years on record have all taken place since 1990. For over the past 200 years, the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, and deforestation have caused the concentrations of heat-trapping "greenhouse gases" to increase significantly in our atmosphere. These gases prevent heat from escaping to space, somewhat like the glass panels of a greenhouse. (top)

What is a ‘carbon footprint’?

Your company’s ‘carbon footprint’ is a measure of your impact on the environment, in terms of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted, as a result of your everyday business operations, or for individuals and households as result of your daily activities. For most businesses, electricity and natural gas use is responsible for the majority of the carbon footprint. For households, driving, flying, and energy use are the primary sources of your CO2 emissions. A carbon footprint is often expressed as tons of CO2 or tons of carbon emitted, usually on a yearly basis. If you’re an individual, you can use our Carbon Footprint Calculator to determine your personal impact. (top)

What causes global warming?

About three-quarters of the anthropogenic [man-made] emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere during the past 20 years are due to fossil fuel burning. The rest of the man-made emissions are predominantly due to land-use change, especially deforestation. The latest report on the science of climate change from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting, concluded that continuing polluting business-as-usual practices is likely to increase global average temperatures between 1.1°C and 6.4° C above 1980-1999 levels by 2095, leading to more droughts, heat waves, floods and stronger hurricanes, rapid melting of ice-sheets and rapidly rising sea levels.

We must change our current practices in order to mitigate this temperature change.(top)

Where does your scientific data come from?

Our data comes from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC is a scientific body: the information it provides with its reports is based on scientific evidence and reflects existing viewpoints within the scientific community. The comprehensiveness of the scientific content is achieved through contributions from experts in all regions of the world and all relevant disciplines including, where appropriately documented, industry literature and traditional practices, and a two stage review process by experts and governments. (top)

Why are businesses addressing their carbon footprint?

In the absence of a Federal U.S. regulation, businesses who are concerned about climate change and the increase of greenhouse gases are taking voluntary steps to reduce their environmental impact. Some businesses are acting today with the expectation of receiving credit for “early action” if and when Federal regulation does come into effect. Other businesses are tracking and reducing their carbon footprint in an effort to lead by example or meet internal goals set to reduce the business’s environmental footprint. Some of the direct benefits found from businesses taking action against climate change include the following:

Customers are increasingly aware of climate change, and will value efforts to reduce environmental impacts.
Marketing and public relations teams can respond to the growing awareness among customers and the public on the concerns of climate change.
Senior management can reference a company’s climate change commitment – both internally and externally. A Business Week survey found that 80% of the Fortune 500 CEOs believed that climate change was a serious problem.
Investor Relations personnel can position their company as being climate responsible. Investors and investment funds have begun to measure and act on the environmental performance of the companies that they consider.

Employees can tell their families and friends that their company does the right thing when it comes to climate change. (top)

IV. Questions About Conventional and Renewable Energy

Where does our electricity come from?

Ninety-eight percent of the United States' existing energy system relies on non-renewable generating resources such as coal, nuclear, oil and gas. Only two percent of US electricity is generated from renewable sources. Note: large scale hydro power while technically renewable is excluded from this total due to its large negative environmental impact. (top)

What impact does conventional electricity generation have on the environment?

Electricity generation is one of the primary contributors to air pollution and global climate change. Electricity generation causes more air pollution than any other industry. US power plants produce:

Two-thirds of the pollutants that result in acid rain
Half of our nuclear waste
One-third of our global warming pollution
One-third of the air pollutants that are a chief cause of respiratory-related hospital admissions for children and senior citizens

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What is renewable energy?

Renewable Energy or "Green Power" is electricity that is generated from resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and low-impact hydro facilities. Generally, this term refers to sources of power that may either be easily replenished by nature or replenished continuously by the activities of man. Renewable energy produces much less pollution and greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal, and in many cases produces no emissions at all. (top)

What are the benefits of renewable energy?

Generally, renewable energy produces little or no emissions. However, emissions are only one of the problems created by conventional electricity generation. In the long term, relying on conventional power sources translates into air and water pollution, as well as the social costs associated with waste cleanup and health problems. The main benefit of renewable energy is that it stops these problems before they start. Another important benefit of renewable energy is that we can access it right here at home. This benefit allows us to avoid heavily importing to meet our energy needs, which can create political and economic dependencies that can drive our nation's foreign policy. (top)

What is biomass?

Biomass is essentially waste-to-energy and can take the form of landfill gas, human and animal waste and agricultural waste. In the case of garbage in a landfill, the garbage decomposes and emits methane gas, which can then be captured to turn a generation turbine. In the case of human/animal waste, microbes eat the waste and emit gas that can be captured in the same way. With agricultural waste, the material is incinerated and the resulting heat boils water. The steam that is created then turns generation turbines. (top)

Do wind turbines pose a threat to birds?

While once a serious issue, two decades of experience have made the wind energy industry more sophisticated in the design of wind energy facilities. While older metal frame towers lent themselves to avian nesting, solid fiberglass, cylindrical towers eliminate this problem. While older facilities failed to do environmental assessment reports for nesting grounds and migratory flight paths, these studies are conducted today as a standard practice in wind energy facility evaluation and construction. The end result is that an average 1.5 MW wind turbine, large enough to power approximately 500 homes annually, causes 1.7 avian fatalities per year, according to a 2003 study of the Stateline Wind Energy Facility conducted by WEST Inc. and Northwest Wildlife Consultants. (top)

What is "low-impact" hydro power?

Hydro power, or typically the power coming from the pressure a dammed waterway exerts on a generation turbine, is an age-old power generation method. In the last 75 years, humans have developed ever-larger dams to serve ever-growing populations. Unfortunately, these large dams simultaneously diminish fish populations, can disrupt ecosystems, and displace people. "Low-impact" simply means that the impact of building a dam does not come at these high prices to other aspects of the ecosystem. The non-profit Low-Impact Hydro Institute runs a certification program that identifies and rewards typically small hydropower dams with only minimal environmental impacts. To learn more about low-impact hydro power, visit the LIHI website at www.lowimpacthydro.org. (top)

What about fuel cells?

Fuel cells represent the cutting edge of energy generation technology today and could become very important over the next 5-10 years, but the technology is currently too expensive for broad-based commercial operation. It is important to keep in mind that fuel cells are not a renewable power source in and of themselves, but rather a generation technology, requiring a power source to feed it. To be a truly renewable generation technology, we want to use renewable fuel sources like landfill methane and biogas to power the fuel cells, not just make gas, oil and coal more efficient. (top)

Is it true that nuclear power offers an emissions-free solution?

Nuclear fission power is indeed "emissions-free" in that it does not pollute from a smokestack. However, nuclear waste remains for 10,000+ years, poisons groundwater and causes cancer and birth defects. If we are ever able to create "nuclear" fusion, which does not have the associated waste or environmental risks, such a breakthrough technology could become critically important to our planet's survival. Today, there is no solution for what to do with radioactive waste except bury it in a great big hole and leave it to future generations. (top)

Is it true that "clean-coal" technology represents a major advance?

There is no such thing as "clean coal." This is a marketing term. All coal is mined, creating environmental damage, and all coal is burned, creating pollution. The best we can do with coal is to burn it more efficiently, so that less coal is required to produce the same amount of output. (top)

V. Questions About 3Degrees

Where are 3Degrees' customers located?

We service over 30,000 customers in all 50 United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Europe. (top)

Where does the renewable energy come from?

Renewable energy includes wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, landfill gas and low-impact hydro. Click here to see the renewable facilities section for more information on selected renewable energy generation facilities 3Degrees is supporting through its customers. If you have questions about which renewable energy source(s) you are or will support, email us or phone toll-free 866.476.9378. (top)

Does 3Degrees offer any non-renewable, conventional energy in its product offering?

No. We provide our customers 100% renewable energy.

To learn about our vision and mission, click here. (top)