Global Basecamps, one of our CarbonFree® partners, helps travelers set up trips that both maximize their experience and minimize the environmental impact of their travels. They are also preparing to launch a great new initiative that will help their customers to continue to reduce their carbon footprint through recycling.

Recently, Global Basecamps joined the International Mountain Explorers Connection. IMEC works to ensure equitable treatment for porters and guides on trekking and climbing routes on three continents. Global Basecamps also works closely with the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Program to help ensure that proper gear, wages and sleeping conditions are met by tour companies working on the mountain. As a part of this program, Global Basecamps will be working with their clients to recycle their used trekking gear with the Porters Alliance. You can read more about Global Basecamp’s involvement with IMEC and the Porter’s Assitance Project by clicking here. We commend Global Basecamps for their commitment to sustainability and to reducing what they can!

US News editor and Alpha Consumer blogger, Kimberly Palmer asked, Are Eco-Resorts Really Green? Initially skeptical, she wades through greenwash and finds real eco-friendly tourist destinations, among them Carbonfund.org partners. She mentions for example EcoTour Adventures in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Craftsman B&B on the pacific coast of Oregon who are committed to sustainability. When evaluating the green claims of any business, you can look for these signs: 1. They express their environmental commitment on their website or materials; 2. They are transparent about what they have done to reduce what they can or offset what they can't; 3. If you need more info, the contact person is familiar with and clear about their business' efforts. Getting green is crucial for the tourism industry. As a reminder, check out this article from the BBC yesterday that reports that the Caribbean region is among the regions said by scientists to be most at risk from the effects of global warming. Coral reefs face collapse from global warming and dealing with extreme weather is expected to cost $5 billion. Add that to the expected loss of $4 billion in travel revenue, the vacation in the Carribean in many people's dreams might, if the world doesn't take action pass into legend. We all have a carbon footprint. Take responsibility for yours now. Learn more about how you can reduce and offset your footprint on our website.

From paint to bedding, I am always looking for greener products to use in my home. Sometimes, however, the search for environmentally friendly household product can be overwhelming. That’s why I was thrilled to find HealthyHome’s website. Founded in 1993, HealthyHome is one of the oldest providers of green products in the country and one of the first to offer them online. They are a privately held company dedicated to sustainability, energy efficiency, and lower environmental impacts from the products they sell. They offer green paints, stains and coatings, flooring, lighting, beds and bedding, cleaning supplies, garden and outdoor products, air and water filtration systems and many other products. Each product they sell meets their high standards for sustainability, safety, efficiency, low carbon footprint, and economy. They are continually searching for new products that help their customers live, build and renovate greener. HealthyHome is partnering with us to offset their own carbon footprint as well as all customer shipping by supporting a combination of renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects. To learn more (or go shopping) please visit: www.healthyhome.com

When Allegheny Contract Flooring joined our CarbonFree® Business Program in 2008 they pledged to “reduce, reduce, reduce” and they have taken significant steps to do just that. Through their Office of Sustainability they are working to rapidly transform their own operations to be sustainable and kind to the environment. Perhaps the most impressive achievement is their Zero Waste to Landfill Policy. To date, they have recycled more than 3,000,000 pounds of broadloom and carpet tile.   Considering construction and demolition debris comprises about 40 percent of the solid waste stream this is an extremely important strategy. Where practical, some of this reclaimed material is restored and donated to charitable and other not for profit organizations, some is reused in the carpet manufacturing process, and some finds new life in the form of such disparate items as park benches, automobile accessories and curb blocks.   None of it is disposed of in landfills. None of it is burned in incinerators. 100% is recycled. Allegheny Contract Flooring is New England’s largest commercial flooring company. The company was founded in 1945 and has been owned by the Auditore family ever since. Daniel and James Auditore took over ownership of the company in 2005 with the goal of not only being New England’s largest but also New England’s greenest commercial flooring company. Allegheny is offsetting their corporate footprint by supporting renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects. For more information, please visit www.alleghenycontract.com.

NBS was recently certified as a Green Business by the City/County of San Francisco and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). The Bay Area Green Business Program verifies that businesses meet higher standards of environmental performance. They work with government agencies and utilities to help local businesses comply with all environmental regulations and take actions to conserve resources, prevent pollution, and minimize waste. To receive this distinction NBS is “raising the bar” on recycling, with more aggressive office recycling programs that include recycling bins at each desk, only one garbage can per suite and composting all paper towels. They are also purchasing recycled and certified paper products, recycling old computer and electronic items and using online conferencing technology to reduce their travel. A CarbonFree® Partner since 2007, NBS provides consulting, services and software to local governmental agencies in California and across the United States. NBS assists such agencies with sound advice and consulting related to the use of special financing districts, rates and fees, cost allocation plans, fiscal impacts, and other fiscal and revenue mechanisms. Please visit www.nbsgov.com for more information.

HotelsCombined.com, a free travel tool that helps travelers find the best deal for their preferred hotel on one website, recently announced that their business offices are now running on 100% renewable energy. A CarbonFree® Business partner since 2007, HotelsCombined.com is dedicated to reducing the carbon emissions of its business activities to minimize its carbon footprint. Through their partnership with us they are offsetting all of their emissions including office energy usage, business travel and emissions associated with hotel bookings by supporting a combination of renewable energy, reforestation, and energy efficiency projects. Their system searches over 600,000 hotels deals worldwide, from over 30 different major hotel reservation websites. HotelsCombined.com users can view a side-by-side comparison of all offers for the one hotel, ensuring they select the right deal for their accommodation needs. Consumers can also navigate comprehensive hotel content including millions of images, descriptions, maps and consumer reviews. By combining all hotel information into the one site, HotelsCombined.com improves the way travelers search, plan and shop for hotels. For more information, please visit www.hotelscombined.com.

CarbonFree(r) Partner Founding Farmers is serving up our type of environmental responsibility!  Located on historic Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, DC, Founding Farmers is the first LEED restaurant in the greater DC metro region, and is the first upscale-casual, full-service LEED Gold restaurant in the entire country.   With an underlying philosophy to support family farms and sustainable agriculture, you can be sure your meal at Founding Farmers is as fresh, unprocessed and farmer-sourced as possible. Hospitality Design Magazine and ASID named Founding Farmers the Project Winner of the 2009 Earth-Minded Awards and the restaurant was also awarded the Grand Prize in the Restaurant/Casual category from the 2009 Association for Retail Environments Retail Design Awards.    In addition to being named a "Top 50 Best New Restaurant" by Travel + Leisure this past June, the restaurant has garnered many other honors from local and regional publications. All of the awards they've received only complement the unique mix of modern and old country that blend harmoniously in the Founding Farmers' atmosphere.  Farm tables, dynamic open space, and old wood are highlights that wait for you at one of DC's hottest new restaurants. Their homemade creations range from classic American traditions to great farm meals.  If you're looking for a new, hip restaurant in DC that combines old and new, visit Founding Farmers to learn more or book a reservation.

Carbonfund.org President Eric Carlson today appeared with author and professor Robert H. Frank at a National Press Club Newsmaker Event. The topic, selected by a committee of the Press Club, was an economic assessment of carbon offsets, particularly in context of the cap-and-trade climate legislation in Congress. Last Friday, the House of Representatives passed the landmark climate bill, which now awaits debate and a vote in the Senate. Speaking at the event, Eric said, "The great thing about cap-and-trade is that the environment gets its piece upfront. The cap is set at the right level with slow reductions and the market has to figure out how to get there." For example, quality carbon offsets can be a cost-effective way to reduce carbon footprints. Carbonfund.org offers third-party validated and certified offsets meeting the highest accepted standards. To reach the approx. 80% reduction in 2050 set by the climate bill recently passed by the House, about a 2% - 3% reduction annually would be required. This goal, said Eric, is extremely doable. Dr. Frank, who recently published The Economic Naturalist's Field Guide: Common Sense Principles for Troubled Times and is a New York Times economics columnist, noted that the climate bill incentivizes emissions reductions through cap-and-trade. It's a sensible approach that places a set level of overall reductions for the nation. In addition, the most efficient operations, or companies, are rewarded while less efficient companies in terms of their energy use and carbon emissions, are encouraged through this process to be more efficient. Read more about the climate bill in this blog post.