Understanding Carbon Offsets
NRG carbon offsets can help you reduce your carbon footprint when you can't reduce or recycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent.
What are carbon offsets?
Carbon offsets are investments in projects that reduce or avoid carbon dioxide and/or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A carbon offset represents 1 metric ton (about 2,200 pounds) of greenhouse gas emissions reduced or prevented. That's like planting 15 trees! Carbon offsets are generated by third parties through projects such as methane capture at landfills, reforestation, ozone depletion prevention, and many others. Carbon offsets can be used to help neutralize corporate or personal emissions and, in some cases, help achieve a carbon neutral footprint.
What are some factors that contribute to my carbon footprint?
Any activity that results in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can contribute to your carbon footprint. Some of the most common ones are: air and car travel, waste, electricity use, gas use, and burning fossil fuels.
Why choose NRG offsets?
1. High-quality standards: Our carbon offsets are sourced using industry-leading third-party certification standards, such as the Verified Carbon Standard, Climate Action Reserve and Clean Development Mechanism. These standards ensure that offsets are real, permanent, and verifiable.
2. A large portfolio of projects, including methane capture at landfills and wastewater treatment facilities, forestry projects, energy efficiency and more.
3. Experience in the market: Our tenured experience in clean energy helps consumers and businesses alike reduce their impact on the environment.
How can I use carbon offsets to live a greener lifestyle?
Individuals can use carbon offsets to target emissions from everyday life such as driving, flying, waste, non-renewable energy use, and many others. NRG Offsets makes it easy to enroll on a product to target different emissions in your life.
How do carbon offsets work?
Driving your car, air travel, or powering your home emit CO2 into the atmosphere. You can use NRG Offsets to match your emissions and lower your carbon footprint or even make it net neutral. NRG uses the money from your purchase to fund high-quality projects that reduce or capture CO2 emissions. The emissions avoided become carbon offsets certified by third-party agencies and are retired by NRG on your behalf.