See 'Em While You Can: 20 Places Threatened by Global Warming

Climate change can be an abstract threat. An elevated level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doesn't exactly make the air look or smell any different, and the changes to come are often expressed in terms like degrees per year. This threat doesn't appeal to our human-scale senses, attuned to the here and now, to whatever's right in front of our faces.

ProTraveller has brought the threat home with a list of 20 places directly threatened by climate change. Number 1 on the list--Palau, Micronesia--may not be familiar to many of our readers, but it may nothing more than a memory for anyone in the world in just a few decades.

Not just small islands make the list: London, Tokyo, and New York City could see significant changes, even threats to their existence, if climate change models continue to outpace even the most dire predictions.

Carbonfund.org Partners With JetBlue Airways

This is big, folks! JetBlue, the coolest airline out there, is partnering with us to offer offsets to its customers. You’ve probably heard of their new Happy Jetting campaign. The environmental component of it is called Jetting to Green, and that’s where we come in. Here’s the deal:

Jetting to Green is a suite of initiatives designed to reduce JetBlue’s environmental impact and make a difference within the company, the airline industry and the communities it serves. As part of its partnership with Carbonfund.org, JetBlue customers will have the option to link directly to www.carbonfund.org/jetblue to offset their flight’s carbon footprint after completing their itinerary online. They will be able to calculate the carbon footprint for their flight using a Flight Calculator or donate by choosing one of two preset options that start at $5.00. All contributions are tax deductible.

But JetBlue’s customers aren’t the only ones who fly—their crews are up there day in and day out. To deal with that carbon, JetBlue is also committed to offsetting the emissions generated by crewmembers traveling for corporate business in 2008. This donation will fund the planting of about 11,200 trees in Louisiana, creating a 40-acre forest.

I’ve always known JetBlue as an innovative airline in an often stodgy industry, so I’m really thrilled that we’re partnering with them. Kory and Jen are jetting up to JFK to represent Carbonfund.org on launch day. Look for more news in the future from this exciting partnership.

Re-News-Ables - 5/16/08

EcoSystem Marketplace releases its "State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets." This is the best guide out there to overall market trends and information - so make sure to study it as hard as I have!

Merrill Lynch is learning how to take advantage of the carbon offset growing market. The financial powerhouse is launching its Green and Gold initiative.

The debate over carbon offsets gets political as McCain releases a counter-proposal to Lieberman-Warner. Carbonfund.org is staying out of it, for now.

Efficient wood stoves are approved as eligible carbon offset projects. My guess is they won't be in our project portfolio anytime soon.

New York Design Company Hosts CarbonFree Event

In the world of Touch NY, necklaces are made from recycled soda can tabs, hugging trees is an artistic statement, and the idea of sustainability rises to the status of "social and aesthetic force." Our CarbonFree Business Partner, Studio Mousetrap, is offsetting the event on behalf of Touch.

Here's the announcement for their upcoming event in NYC, May 18-20, from Touch's Web site:

With sustainability gaining unprecedented traction with the new social vocabulary, TOUCH NEW YORK aims to place the viewer firmly inside the context of the movement by not only showing works comprised of recycled material, but surrounding him or her with it as well to create a complete experience. In doing so, the exhibition hopes to explore the potential and practicality of sustainability in the design world as both a social and aesthetic force.

It's Never Too Early To Be a Climate Activist

In March I reported on high school students who raised funds to donate to Carbonfund.org through a bake sale. Well, Michael just brought a story to my attention that proves activism can start even earlier than that.

The story begins with Evan Slater, Editor of Surfing Magazine, which joined the CarbonFree™ Surfing program last summer. He's also the rightly proud father of two cute little girls, Peyton, a second grader, and Zoe, who's in kindergarten.

Last winter, these forward-thinking girls started their own "Bottle Project" at their elementary school in Carlsbad, CA. The project's goal was to encourage the entire school to recycle their plastic bottles for a semester. Slater says:

During Christmas break, we lugged more than a dozen massive trashbags full of plastic bottles to the local recycling center. The girls collected just over 100 bucks, we matched it, and they wanted to put that money back in the ground by planting trees, so they donated to Carbonfund.org. The school got so behind it, they had a big assembly for them and they talked about the project and the results.

As a joke, my older daughter's teacher decided to pour a can of plastic bottles on their heads.

Congrats and thanks to Peyton and Zoe, from all of us at Carbonfund.org!