Carbon Footprint

Carbon footprint: the negative impact that something (as a person or business) has on the environment; specifically: the amount of carbon emitted by something during a given period.

Jon Markman at MSN Money doesn't hold back when he says "Corn-based ethanol production is sure to go down as one of the greatest mistakes ever in U.S. energy policy." It's even more provoking when he writes "replacing fossil fuels with corn-based ethanol would double greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades. The studies show that switchgrass, an alternative to ethanol that's more weed than plant, would boost emissions by 50%."

Volkswagen just announced that it will team up with Carbonfund.org to help new VW purchasers clean up their carbon footprints. Every new Volkswagen purchased in the United States from September 1, 2007 through January 2, 2008 will come with one year of carbon emission offsets, courtesy of Volkswagen. It looks like money for each vehicle purchased will be donated to help reforest areas of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) in Northern Louisiana.

In Sunday's LA Times, Dan Neil exorcises his guilt over climate change with a humorous essay that does give a hint to his serious efforts in fighting a global problem. He has converted to compact fluorescent lights and recycled "everything but the cat." But over-analyzing the carbon footprint of every purchase makes him an "awful party host." What harmful emissions were spewed int