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As a company, it is important to us to be as green as possible. Every time we ship a package, its transportation generates CO2 and other greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming. To mitigate this impact, the Green Bride Guide has partnered with Brighter Planet to offset the carbon footprint of every shipment - at no cost to you.
A carbon footprint is an estimate of how much a particular activity contributes to climate change.
Although many gasses contribute to global warming, carbon footprints are expressed in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) and the other gasses that we emit are converted to their carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) so that the footprint can be expressed as a single number. Greenhouse gases are measured by weight, so carbon footprints are usually expressed in pounds or tons.
One ton of CO2 gas could fill 130,000 gallons of milk or a 2,200 square-foot house. Most Americas produce about a ½ ton of CO2 gas every week by driving, and heating, cooling and powering our homes.
In the simplest terms, carbon offsets are a way to fight climate change by supporting projects that remove CO2 from the air or that reduce future emissions. Offsets work because global warming is driven by the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Therefore, whether you reduce your own emissions by a ton or you support a project that reduces emissions by a ton, the net result is the same.
Carbon offsets are somewhat controversial because they offer a mechanism for people to “buy their way out of the problem” instead of changing their core consumption patterns by driving less, turning the heat down, etc. However, our philosophy at the Green Bride Guide is that we should reduce what we can and offset the rest.
Shipping is an inevitable reality of running an online store and purchasing carbon offsets give us a way to neutralize that impact on the planet.
Though there are many credible carbon offsetting organizations available to choose from, Green Bride Guide CEO, Kate L. Harrison, selected Brighter Planet because of its reputation, methodology and practices. Brighter Planet focuses on community-scale projects across the United States instead of buying offsets abroad.
Their current portfolio includes several methane digesters and wind farms. Each project is carefully chosen by a committee of industry experts including the former dean of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Gus Speth and Terry Kellogg, Executive Director of 1% For the Planet.
While some carbon offsetting companies invest in somewhat controversial tree planting programs that pull carbon from the air, Brighter Planet supports renewable energy projects that reduce our dependence on “dirty” carbon-emitting sources, like coal and oil. Each project is “additional,” meaning that it would not have been built otherwise and no one is getting paid to do something they would do anyway.
In addition, Brighter Planet undergoes a voluntary annual audit that includes an independent accountant's report to confirm that the money from the sale of the offsets goes to the corresponding projects. They also get a statement of offset retirement from Clean Air-Cool Planet, a third party non-profit. Because carbon offsets are commodities (representing the “right” to the greenhouse gas reduction) they can be traded back and forth. Retiring them ensures that no one else gets credit for offset we make and ensures that our shipping benefits that planet.
*Free Carbon Neutral Shipping applies to standard ground shipping within the Continental U.S. For express shipping, and shipping to Alaska, Hawaii and other countries additional fees may apply.
Click here to view our Return Policy
