Carbon Trust Selected to Implement Colorado’s Voluntary Carbon Fund

Gov. Ritter’s Energy Office selected The Climate Trust to implement the Colorado Carbon Fund. The Colorado Carbon Fund was designed to provide high quality, verifiable carbon offsets for consumers concerned about climate change.

Consumers can mitigate their own carbon emissions by helping to fund offset projects, which, according to The Climate Trust and the Governor’s Energy Office, quantifiably reduce greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. One aspect of this program I particularly like: the Colorado Carbon Fund will only spend funds on greenhouse gas reduction projects that are developed in Colorado. That keeps those projects local, which is admirable. There are other projects that develop projects nationally and internationally, The Climate Trust being one of them.

From the GEO’s press release:

Tom Plant, GEO Director. “Carbon offsets are a part of a three step process for consumers to engage in a sustainable energy lifestyle. First is measurement of emissions; second is reduction of emissions through efficiency and renewable energy; third is offset of the remaining emissions through the Colorado Carbon Fund. Taken as a package, the Colorado Carbon Fund’s voluntary carbon offsets will help us to meet our greenhouse gas emissions goals from the state’s Climate Action Plan.”

The Climate Trust will work with GEO staff over the next several months to develop the framework for the Colorado Carbon Fund including defining funding opportunities for in-state offset projects, developing web-based carbon footprint calculators, and creating the offset tracking and retirement system. The official launch of the Colorado Carbon Fund is anticipated for late summer 2008.

Here is something from the press release that’s confusing:

Colorado residents who offset over 50% of their vehicle’s emissions will qualify to purchase a “Carbon Neutral Colorado” license plate through legislation recently passed by the Colorado General Assembly.

How ironic is that? I fail to see how this “reward” encourages positive behavior. It makes it seem like the Fund is only a feel-good measure, which I don’t necessarily think it is. Overall all though, a good plan is being set up here.

Clean Energy Fund Grants

A short while back, Gov. Ritter’s Energy Office announced the recipients of the second round of “New Energy Economic Development (NEED)” grants. 13 entities were awarded $656,000 in funding. The group includes some pretty interesting projects and ideas. I’ve commented on some of them. The list:

• Bardwell Consulting of Denver received $25,000.00 for its OptiMiser program, which is a PC-based program that creates and evaluates a full range of near-optimal solutions for energy retrofits. The NEED grant will be used to complete and launch the distributable version of OptiMiser.

• Black Hawk Transportation Authority received $50,000.00 for a biodiesel processing facility that will process used cooking oil from area restaurants into biodiesel, and blend the produced fuel for B5-B20. The biodiesel will power the Black Hawk and Central City Tramway buses and municipal fleets.

• City and County of Denver received $60,000.00 to support the launch of Denver’s new green business program that will engage and educate businesses in energy efficiency and sustainable practices while providing a framework for regional action.

• Community Energy Systems of Crestone, received $24,170.00 for biomass thermal heating systems for the Homelake Veterans’ Home.

• Coolerado of Arvada, received $25,000 to build a solar powered, mobile, five-ton air conditioning system.

I’m not sure how a five-ton mobile solar powered air conditioning system is going to be used, but I do find the concept intriguing.

• Czero, Inc. of Fort Collins, received $67,500.00. They will partner with the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory and the College of Business at Colorado State University to develop a low cost hydraulic hybrid retrofit kit.

I like this one because it’s a small (seemingly) business partnering with an educational facility. More of this, please.

• Denver Zoological Foundation received $100,000.00 to incorporate a biomass gasification system in Asian Tropics, its next major exhibit showcasing Asian elephants and other wildlife native to Southeast Asia.

This makes so much sense. Think of all the biomass generated by zoos across the country for umpteen years. Finding a way to use it all as an energy source reflects forward thinking by zoo officials. Kudos to them.