TerraPass

[ChinoCharles]

I challenged everyone's favorite Sunday driver Bailout to come on the forums and explain the TerraPass phenomenon. He won't take the time to explain why it is a good idea, but he will take the time to try and push it on our membership. Instead of blindly jumping on the bandwagon, I thirst for a deeper understanding, so lets try and achieve that in this thread.

In case you're not familiar with TerraPass, it is a company that claims to be able to offset emissions from a host of sources. These include cars, the home, flight, and even your dorm room. In other words, to offset the emissions from your automobile, you pay a yearly sum (for a Yaris, about $40/yr depending on mileage) and you've magically negated your emissions for the year.

Having said that, I'm really sceptical. TerraPass does not do anything itself to reduce emissions. Rather, your money goes to funding clean energy projects and research. Sounds teriffic in theory, but then the million dollar question would be how much out of every dollar actually goes to research and how much is pocketed? If $5 out of the $40 I pay goes to research, it isn't worth it. In fact, it makes anyone who did buy in a moron. I would gladly buck up and pay a small yearly fee if it meant helping to counteract emissions, as I'm sure a lot of Americans would. However, the burden of proof doesn't lie with me.

What is your take? Has anyone heard anything about this company? Can anyone provide any commentary for or against? Let me forewarn you, I've spent enough time on Google to see most of the obvious arguements for and against it. For every blogger or periodical saying its God's gift to the environment, there is another saying its a bunch of hullabaloo. Don't go Googling TerraPass and posting links. Objective information only.

[joey1320]

yeah people that pay to offset the smog/emissions created by them are dumb.

i just read on my fiances wedding mag. that a company will calculate how much emssions your wedding will produce, with people driving/flying in to the celebration and give you a price of how much it will take to offset that. i was laughing my ass off when i read that.

what a bunch of crap!!!

[Nutzoids]

Originally Posted by ChinoCharles

I challenged everyone's favorite Sunday driver Bailout to come on the forums and explain the TerraPass phenomenon. He won't take the time to explain why it is a good idea, but he will take the time to try and push it on our membership. Instead of blindly jumping on the bandwagon, I thirst for a deeper understanding, so lets try and achieve that in this thread.

In case you're not familiar with TerraPass, it is a company that claims to be able to offset emissions from a host of sources. These include cars, the home, flight, and even your dorm room. In other words, to offset the emissions from your automobile, you pay a yearly sum (for a Yaris, about $40/yr depending on mileage) and you've magically negated your emissions for the year.

Having said that, I'm really sceptical. TerraPass does not do anything itself to reduce emissions. Rather, your money goes to funding clean energy projects and research. Sounds teriffic in theory, but then the million dollar question would be how much out of every dollar actually goes to research and how much is pocketed? If $5 out of the $40 I pay goes to research, it isn't worth it. In fact, it makes anyone who did buy in a moron. I would gladly buck up and pay a small yearly fee if it meant helping to counteract emissions, as I'm sure a lot of Americans would. However, the burden of proof doesn't lie with me.

What is your take? Has anyone heard anything about this company? Can anyone provide any commentary for or against? Let me forewarn you, I've spent enough time on Google to see most of the obvious arguements for and against it. For every blogger or periodical saying its God's gift to the environment, there is another saying its a bunch of hullabaloo. Don't go Googling TerraPass and posting links. Objective information only.

I don't understand... do they give me something to lower my emissions?

[Slummy]

Originally Posted by Nutzoids

I don't understand... do they give me something to lower my emissions?

No, what they "do" is use the money you donate in an effort to reduce emissions by giving it, your money, to companies, non-profits, and so-on who are doing research on lower emissions.

Personally I dont buy it. just my 2 cents.

[Nutzoids]

Originally Posted by Slummy

No, what they "do" is use the money you donate in an effort to reduce emissions by giving it, your money, to companies, non-profits, and so-on who are doing research on lower emissions.

Personally I dont buy it. just my 2 cents.

So what they do is estimate how badly I personally am destroying this plant, then charge me that money for research?

Kind of like a Destruction of Planet tax?

[brickhardmeat]

This company should get in kahoots with the Christian Church.

[eTiMaGo]

Originally Posted by Nutzoids

So what they do is estimate how badly I personally am destroying this plant, then charge me that money for research?

Kind of like a Destruction of Planet tax?

That you willingly pay!

I must admit the concept is very interesting, and if done properly, a very noble cause. But, the chance of it being a huge scam is far more likely... Is there any proof anywhere of the money they have donated to that kind of research?

What I'd like to see is an organization that plants a tree for every time you fuel up...

[SailDesign]

It sounds like another way for the stupidly well-off to feel warm and fuzzy about driving a hUmmer and flying everywhere it can't go.

[ChinoCharles]

I must admit the concept is very interesting, and if done properly, a very noble cause. But, the chance of it being a huge scam is far more likely... Is there any proof anywhere of the money they have donated to that kind of research?

That is what I want to know! Does anyone by chance work for these guys or know someone who does?

[Nutzoids]

How arrogant can we be as people?

Do you REALLY think that we can destroy this planet?

If we don’t destroy ourselves first, This Planet will destroy us centuries before we, as a Human Race, can destroy it!

Polluting the air will only kill us… NOT EARTH!

[Astroman]

Are they a non-profit company? By law such company must post where the money goes. But finding such chart could be very challenging if they are not.

[nsmitchell]

What about nocturnal emissions? What is the impact of those? Maybe TearUpAss?!

[redyaris]

So in other words the money you send them is a donation. Do you even get to write it off your taxes?

[kurokoma-kun]

Originally Posted by redyaris

Do you even get to write it off your taxes?

TerraPass is for-profit, so no. TP addresses this by saying "how much could such a small donation affect your taxes anyway?" As company is privately held their financial statements are not public either.

I only know b/c co-worker encouraged me to join a month or so ago--they are signing up for it as a wedding present! But it struck me as sketchy, kind of like those guys who sell you a 1/1000000th of an acre of the moon...

[Black Yaris]

sounds like a "legal" scam to me

[redyaris]

I hereby establish the official 'redyaris mod reduction foundation'. Just send me all your mods that you are tired of or havent installed yet and I promise to make use of them.

Btw, no refunds. Cash will suffice if you have no mod to contribute.

[PetersRedYaris]

"This cars CO2 balanced by Terrapass". -Bailout

I thought it was some kind of inline emissions aparatus for the exhaust. What a bunch of crap!!! What balance? You mean give money to a company that may reduce emissions in the future? What ever make you feel warm and fuzzy.

[eco]

I remeber when this first came up.It was in California to begin with,then it spread,its BS,save your money and dont buy a SUV that only uses gas.
Lexus has a 44? some HP sedan hybrid,so we edge closer to the end goal,total awarness of the need for hybrids,or hydro,or total electric.