Hi, Young Dems! I hope that you, like me, are looking forward to some fun and education by the sea at convention this weekend. I am proud that over 25 people from our Atlanta chapter will be making the trip, and I know there are many other metro, UGA, GT, etc etc etc Young Dems going. There will be a veritable caravan of passionate do-gooders heading down 75 come Friday. And besides furiously debating Barack vs Hilary and poking much fun at the idiotic parade of Republican presidential candidates, you know what that caravan will be doing?? Emitting carbon dioxide!

Yes, that's right, a very large contingent of young blue-green activists is going to participate in the destruction of the planet. But wait! Before you cancel your reservation or begin contemplating how long it would take to roller blade to Jekyll Island, read the rest of this post. All is not lost. If you have just 5 minutes and a credit card with at least $12 left on it, you can neutralize the environmental impact of your trip to state convention.

It's easy.

If you explore the Carbon Calculator on climatecrisis.net, you will find out your average emissions per year, in tons. Depressingly, I am actually over the national average (seems like it's due to air travel.) There are numerous tips on how to reduce your impact by doing simple things such as keeping your tires properly inflated and accelerating more slowly. But you can also go ahead and purchase certificates to offset your trip. It's very cool. After you calculate your annual impact, navigate to Native Energy by clicking the links near the top of the page. What I just did was to scroll down and click on Try Our Travel Calculator. There you will find a point to point driving calculator. I entered a starting point of Atlanta, GA and an ending destination of Jekyll Island, GA. I then clicked to add another segment and added the return trip. When I clicked DONE, the calculator said I would emit less than a full ton of carbon (thank God) and rounded me up. For $12, I was able to purchase certificates for renewable energy that will displace the demand for energy from fossil fuels - I opted for a 50/50 blend of farm methane and wind energy. This will be enough to offset the environmental impact of my trip. They are going to send me a pdf certificate to prove I'm carbon neutral and also a bumper sticker so I can let others on the road know how to join the green revolution.

The Native Energy site is packed with information about offsetting, whether it actually works and why, along with other tips about how to live green.

Please consider making your trip to our YDG Convention Carbon Neutral.

See you on the beach!!

Labels: convention, environment, young democrats