Here’s how to make YOUR vehicle carbon-neutral
Climate Change is overblown. The Earth will keep spinning around the Sun no matter how high our atmospheric carbon levels rise. HOWEVER, if we want to “…preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted”, then there are very real limits. The best scientific estimates set 350ppm (parts per million) of atmospheric carbon as an UPPER limit to avoid large-scale, irreversible climate change effects. As of March 2019 levels are at 411ppm. Of course YOU can’t drag us back to 350ppm by yourself, but there is a way to help eliminate part of your personal contribution to the problem. YOUR vehicle can be carbon-neutral TODAY, and it’s easier than you might think…
Transportation is the leading source of greenhouse gasses (29% vs. 28% for electrical production) and the sooner we can jettison fossil fuels the better off we’ll all be. Until then about the best anyone can do is keep their vehicles as well-maintained as possible to minimize carbon emissions. Or is it? What if there was a way to reduce net carbon emissions from your vehicle to zero? And what if there was a way to save money…maybe hundreds of dollars… while you did it?
Turns out there is! In 2007 we started the Tom Dwyer Automotive Services Carbon Neutral Program (CNP), a partnership with Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) that lets members buy offsets that balance the carbon output of their vehicles. As of 2019, members of the Tom Dwyer Automotive Carbon Neutral Program have been responsible for removing more than 1.9 million pounds of carbon from our air! We want you to be part of this amazing success story too, so here’s everything you need to know…
What You Get…
Your ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP is applied to the vehicle of your choice and includes…
- Offsets to cover your vehicle’s carbon output
- 10% OFF labor costs at Tom Dwyer Automotive
- Really cool window cling sticker
- Investment through BEF into renewable energy.
What It Costs…
NO PART OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP FEE GOES TO TOM DWYER AUTOMOTIVE! Every dime goes to Bonneville Environmental to provide carbon offsets for the program. Membership varies according to your vehicle type and the number of offsets you’ll need.
- Sippers (Hybrids) are $30
- Drinkers (Most cars) are $50
- Guzzlers (SUV’s or large vehicles) are $90.
And you should remember our “10% off Labor” discount when figuring cost… if you have a repair with $500 in Labor charges, it makes your CNP Membership FREE!
What Are Carbon Offsets?
Carbon Offsets don’t actually affect the emissions of your vehicle at all, they fund other projects that reduce overall carbon emissions to create a “net-zero” situation. Here’s some more information from Bonneville Environmental Foundation on how they work…
“Carbon Offsets (also called Carbon Credits) are generated by discrete carbon reduction projects. One Carbon Offset represents the reduction of 1 metric ton (or 2,205 pounds) of greenhouse gas emissions that occur as a result of that specific project. On top of their direct environmental benefit, some Carbon Offset projects carry additional certification to provide measurable social benefits as well.
Each Carbon Offset generated is third-party verified to prove that real, permanent, verifiable, additional and enforceable emissions reductions have occurred.”
Of course, carbon offsets are only as good as the projects they fund and many companies have formed to certify that the offsets offered are actually cutting carbon. Many now exist, such as The Gold Standard, The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the company we buy offsets from for our Carbon Neutral Program, uses the Green-E certification to ensure quality.
No, YOU can’t fix Climate Change by yourself, but YOU didn’t put us here. YOU, and ALL OF US, each make our own individual contributions to the global warming problem. None of us can be responsible for the actions of others, but each of us can take responsibility, bit by bit, even in small ways, for our own contributions. Come join the Tom Dwyer CNP in making a difference!
Digging Deeper
Science and History of Climate Change- Learn the science without the hype… from either side
Posted on September 2, 2011 by tomdwyer
As part of our sponsorship of 350.org’s 2011 event to raise awareness of climate change, we wrote an article called “Science and History of Climate Change- Learn the science without the hype… from either side”. We linked to sources on the history of the issue, reviews of the science, sources critical of the science, and rebuttals of their points. As much as possible, we tried to create a one-page global warming “truth from fact” resource. Whether you’re a tree-hugger who doesn’t need convincing, or you’re a climate-change-denier thinking “But what about this…”, this is the page to get real knowledge on a subject that’s threatening humanity. Includes links to…
The Discovery of Global Warming, (by Spencer Weart; sponsored by the American Institute of Physics and the Center for History of Physics). The Discovery of Global Warming is an exhaustively researched, incredibly detailed, hyperlinked and cross-referenced guide to the history and science of climate change. The site weaves together more than 30 parallel (and updated) essays, based on over 2400 sources. You can start anywhere, and follow the site down any path that catches your eye. You may choose to start with the History of Climate Change text version or maybe the Timeline, but the hyperlinks in each will take you to definitions, supporting documents, charts, and other explanations you’ll need to understand the issue. The full site is available as a free download (6Mb) for review at your leisure or distribution to your cranky uncle.
RealClimate.org, “…a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists.” RealClimate is an excellent source for readers of all levels. It breaks information down into four categories…”For complete beginners”, “Those with some knowledge”, “Informed, but in need of more detail”, and “Informed, but seeking serious discussion of common contrarian talking points”. Some of the sources they cite are NASA, the National Academy of Science, Pew Center, and the IPCC.
“Climate Change- A Guide To The Perplexed” starts with an article on how one assesses scientific evidence, and then tackles some of the all-time favorite arguments made by climate change deniers: “Antarctic cooling disproves global warming“, “Warming on Mars and Pluto proves global warming is caused by solar activity“, “Global warming stopped in 1988“, and many more.
What Does It Mean To Step Lightly? Understanding your carbon footprint
Posted on February 11, 2011 by tomdwyer
A “carbon footprint” is the measure of net environmental carbon contribution of any activity or combination of activities. This footprint is large (positive) if it adds carbon or small (negative) if it absorbs carbon. For instance, driving your car to work adds to your carbon footprint because you are emitting carbon from combustion. Building a solar plant reduces a carbon footprint because the clean solar power replaces polluting sources such as coal or gas. Trees absorb carbon from the air, so planting a tree is carbon-negative but cutting down a tree is carbon-positive. It’s more complicated than that though, because it’s difficult to measure where an “activity” begins or ends…
Shrinking Your Footprint- What are those carbon offsets you keep hearing about?
Posted on September 2, 2011 by tomdwyer
Carbon offsets are a way for individuals and businesses to fund large-scale projects to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere. The “offset” concept is based on the idea that amount of carbon (or other greenhouse gas) the individual or business produces themselves can be offset by funding reduction in carbon in other places.One carbon offset is the reduction of one metric ton (1000kg) of carbon, or its equivalent in other greenhouse gasses (CO2e). For example,
