Footsy.
Explore GreenBeanz for some fun ways to offset your and your friends' carbon footprints -- when you buy from a biz and with some rad games.
To get some GreenBeanz::• If you are buying things from a biz that offers GreenBeanz -- offset your carbon footprint by buying GreenBeanz along with your purchase.
• Play the GreenBeanz real life offset games with friends to offset the carbon of your purchases and things you do that makes CO2.
• When businesses don't offer GreenBeanz offsets, keep track of your purchases and then use CarbonFund.org or others to offset your CO2.
• Ask your local businesses to offer the GreenBeanz offsets, and help them set it up.
• Check out more ways to reduce and get a sleek carbon footprint with these other superb organizations.
• Put on the ink to get your friends to join the Green Beanz thing -- with the GreenBeanz symbol and words on your clothing and things, by using your talents, and via your emails, blog entries, art, words and media.
More tasty GreenBeanz::
• Join GreenBeanz' Facebook and Flick'r groups.
• Signup for the monthly Greentopia / GreenBeanz/ EarthE Newsletter.
• Honor friends for offsetting their carbon footprint with EarthE kisses, handshakes and art.
• Print and sign the GreenBeanz member card, and print cards to give to friends.
Whether or not you join GreenBeanz -- have fun with your own offset strategy for our priceless biosphere.
Biz.
The GreenBeanz in-store carbon offset is a way for customers to offset the carbon footprint of a product they are buying. Businesses may also choose to match and offset a percentage of the customers' offset as well.Here's how the GreenBeanz in-store carbon offset works. When a customer is paying for a purchase at a store, they may see a sign and/or will be asked by the clerk if they would like to add GreenBeanz to their purchase.
If the customer asks what GreenBeanz is about, the clerk can say, "for an additional 5% (or another relevant %) you can offset the carbon footprint for this purchase/product."The clerk may say, "The money we collect for GreenBeanz will be sent to [the carbonfund.org/ or other non-profit org] who will make sure your GreenBeanz donation is invested in wind, solar and other renewable projects that help reduce the net CO2 emissions of this purchase."
If the business is matching a percentage of that offset, the clerk might also say, "Plus, for every dollar our customers contribute to offset the carbon footprint of their purchase, we will add 25¢.
Eco citizens can help make the GreenBeanz in-store carbon offset happen by asking businesses, "Please offer a carbon offset when we buy your products to help stop climate change and global warming".
The GreenBeanz offsets collected from customer by a business will be forwarded to the CarbonFund.org, or some other renewable energy offset organization. Customers will get to decide whether or not to purchase the offset.
Businesses are also invited to match each of the customer's offsets with their own GreenBeanz offset contribution -- either in full or a portion of.
• Estimate how much it takes to offset the carbon footprints for the average product or department in a store. Check out ecofx.org for help and resources.
• Set up a Green Beanz offset button or a code on the cash registers so that the business will be able to track and send in the appropriate amount of offsets contributed by the customers'.
• Print GreenBeanz signs and put them in the store's window and at the cash register.
• Each month, the business can post a notice stating how much their store has been collected and sent to the CarbonFund.org in the previous month. (A little chalkboard to post the amount looks good.)
• It's also great if the store offers to match a customer's offset to some degree. A 100% matching contribution would be superb.
• Hopefully CarbonFund.org will be able to post how much the stores are have contributed month by month to allow tracking of contributions.
Most of the *Participating Businesses* will have the GreenBeanz sign posted in their store window and/or be listed in the *Participating Businesses Directory*.
If you run an eco conscious business, please join us. Our business invitation will be at greenbeanz.org/BizInvite.htm. The GreenBeanz carbon offset is an eco conscious marketing program that is good for the planet and for biz.
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Plus, here are two GreenBeanz sister projects that businesses are welcomed to join as well:The EarthE Honors Credit/ discount is a superb program that businesses can add alongside their GreenBeans program. The EarthE Credit offers a discount to eco customers who bring in a *Love letter to the Earth* that they have written describing an eco action(s) they have taken in the last week, or EarthE money. *Participating businesses* will be listed here.
Businesses are also invited to take the XO Earth Biz Pledge to show they are willing to give back 1% to the planet via their biz. Feel free to print it, sign it, post it in your business's windows, in advertising and around your store.
All businesses are asked to offer customers the GreenBeanz offset by 2013.
Games.
Play the GreenBeanz carbon offset games with your friends to offset the carbon footprint of your and your friends' purchases and other stuff that makes CO2.~~~~~~
#1 GreenBeanz game #1 is a real life carbon offset game. It's all about getting your friends to start taking eco actions that will offset part of your carbon footprint.
For example, let's say you buy a new jacket (an eco fleece shell) that has a carbon footprint of 30 kilograms (66 pounds). If you get a friend to bike to work for 100 miles (based on 35 mpg), or, carpool an extra 300 miles, or, get them to bring their reusable coffee mug instead of using 5 paper cups -- then you get to claim the carbon offset towards the purchase of your jacket. To estimate the equivalents for this offset game check out ecofx.org.
Then, if your friend continues biking, carpooling or using their mug, their future carbon offsets (or reducing) are applyed to the carbon offset in their own life. In other words, because you helped get someone started in reducing their carbon footprint, the first carbon offset actions they take are applyed to your own purchases or other CO2 producing choices. After a few times of taking that offset action, they get the credit applied towards their own carbon footprint if they keep taking those actions.
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#2 Green Beanz game #2 is played to offset part of a friend's carbon footprint with an offset action that you take or buy. Then give the offset to them as a gift. You can say, "I offset the (carbon footprint of your purchase [or] carbon footprint of an action that you have taken that creates CO2) as a gift to you and the planet." This will encourage the friend to offset their own carbon footprint in the future.
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#3 To play Green Beanz game #3, offer to give a friend (or others) an EarthE reward if they will offset part (or all) of their carbon footprint with specific actions or by purchasing carbon offsets. EarthE Honors is our sister project with lots of rad ways to challenge and thank others for reducing or offsetting their carbon footprint.
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#4 To play Green Beanz game #4, offer to sponsor half (or some other portion) of a friend's carbon footprint offset for a purchase or other CO2 thingy with CarbonFund.org (or other offset non-profit) if they will pay for the other half. Or, if you are both buying the same product or taking the same doing the same CO2 making thing, offer to offset your CO2 if your friend will offset theirs.
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Game #5 is on the way. If you have a GreenBeanz game idea, email us or post it on GreenBeans Facebook.
Honor.
Honor friends and others when they offset their carbon footprints and take other eco actions/choices by giving them EarthE art, words, music, kisses or other goodies that you create, get from here or find elsewhere. >>Challenge friends and others to offset their carbon footprint or take other eco actions, then honor their successes with EarthE awards, handshakes, credit$ or other goodies that you create, get from here or find elsewhere. >>
Paste an EarthE Award or eco money into an email or blog with a message saying, "Thanks for offsetting your carbon footprint."
Learn how to give the EarthE Kiss for a sweet way to honor eco actions -- this eco kiss is safe for workplace and kids.
EcoLotto is our free $4,444 lottery to enter yourself as our thanks for offsetting your carbon footprint and taking other eco actions.
Sleek.
Lifestyle choices are the main way to get a sleek carbon footprint. Reducing is the best strategy. Offsetting is the next strategy, when reducing is not possible. Scope out the *Green Living Toolkit* -- by the NRDC -- and these other resources for eco things you can do for our sweet biosphere.
• Sierra Club• Wilderness Society
• Sea Shepherd
• World Wildlife Federation
• Union of Concerned Scientists
• NRDC
• Environmental Defense
• The Nature Conservancy
• Greenpeace
• Earth Island
• Carbon Fund
Pledge.
GreenBeanz Honors Pledge card::Print and sign a membership pledge/ card to show that you have pledged to offset part -- or all -- of your carbon footprint with 1 or more offset actions every day. Feel free to print extra pledge cards to invite others to sign too.