TerraPass is a
social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners.
Social enterprises ca ...
that provides
carbon offset
A carbon offset is a reduction or removal of emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. Offsets are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e). One ton of carbon ...
ting products. They are headquartered in Houston, Texas. TerraPass use proceeds from member purchases to fund greenhouse gas reduction projects.
Carbon portfolio
TerraPass's portfolio of carbon reduction projects is divided into four project types, all based in the United States:
*Wind energy. TerraPass purchased Green-e-certified wind
Renewable Energy Certificates Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), also known as Green tags, Renewable Energy Credits, Renewable Electricity Certificates, or Tradable Renewable Certificates (TRCs), are tradable, non-tangible energy certificates in the United States that repres ...
(RECs) from wind farms and calculates the carbon reduction from these RECs based on the
EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
eGRID methodology. Wind farms help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing electricity that would otherwise come from burning fossil fuels such as coal.
*Farm methane digesters (or "Farm Power"). TerraPass funds emissions reductions from digesters that collect the
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...
from animal manure on dairy farms and burn it, often generating renewable energy (the heat energy from burning methane can be used to generate electricity; the manure, as the source of methane, is the 'renewable') in the process. Methane is a greenhouse gas with a
global warming potential
Global warming potential (GWP) is the heat absorbed by any greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, as a multiple of the heat that would be absorbed by the same mass of carbon dioxide (). GWP is 1 for . For other gases it depends on the gas and the time f ...
of about 23 times that of carbon dioxide (the combustion of methane produces carbon dioxide).
*Landfill methane flaring. TerraPass funds reductions from landfill flaring of methane, a method similar to farm methane digesters, in which the methane is instead collected from decomposing garbage.
*Clean energy. TerraPass funds wind energy after calculating environmental gains with the “carbon profile” of the electricity grid where the energy is produced.
History
Acquisition by Just Energy Group
In 2014, TerraPass sold its retail carbon offset business to JustGreen, a subsidiary of the
Just Energy Group Inc., a
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
-based competitive retailer of natural gas and electricity. JustGreen assumed the TerraPass brand. The remaining TerraPass Energy & Wholesale group renamed itself Origin Climate.
Partnerships
To expand their reach into additional areas of the carbon offset market, TerraPass has entered into several business partnerships:
* In August 2006, TerraPass began selling airplane emission offsets through
Expedia
Expedia Inc. is an online travel agency owned by Expedia Group, an American online travel shopping company based in Seattle. The website and mobile app can be used to book airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruise ships, and vacat ...
. In contrast to offsets sold through TerraPass's website, Expedia offsets are intended to offset the specific flight(s) booked through the travel site.
* In January 2007, TerraPass partnered with uShip.com to provide a "TerraPass Certified Green Provider Program" to shipping companies wishing to offset their carbon dioxide emissions.
* In June 2007,
Flexcar
Flexcar is a vehicle subscription company based in Boston, MA. They offer weekly subscriptions to a variety of cars with touchless pickup from locations in Boston, Nashville, and Atlanta. Flexcars include maintenance and insurance and customers ca ...
partnered with TerraPass to provide a premium "Green Membership". In addition to regular Flexcar privileges, Green members receive one ton of CO
2 offsets through TerraPass.
Verification
TerraPass works directly with project developers to validate the greenhouse gas reductions against the
Verified Carbon Standard
The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), or Verra, formerly the Voluntary Carbon Standard, is a standard for certifying carbon emissions reductions. VCS is administered by Verra, a 501(c)(3) organization.
History
In 2005, carbon markets investment ...
, a leading offset standard. All of the RECs TerraPass purchases are
Green-e certified through the
Center for Resource Solutions. The primary standards they use are Verified Carbon Standard and the Climate Action Reserve.
TerraPass is audited according to guidelines established by the
Center for Resource Solutions. The audit covers a number of aspects of the company's operations. The focus of the audit is to verify that TerraPass fulfills its carbon purchase obligations on behalf of its customers; to enforce certain carbon portfolio quality standards; and to review TerraPass marketing language and disclosure policies for accuracy.
Adam Stein, co-founder and VP of Marketing, was an occasional contributor to environmental news site
Grist Magazine
''Grist'' (originally ''Grist Magazine''; also referred to as Grist.org) is an American non-profit online magazine founded in 1999 that publishes environmental news and commentary. ''Grists tagline is "Climate. Justice. Solutions." ''Grist'' ...
.
Quality principles
The voluntary carbon market is a young but rapidly growing industry, achieving worldwide sales of approximately $100 million in 2006. The industry has experienced a
number of controversies, some of which TerraPass has attempted to address:
* Consumer behavior. TerraPass conducted a survey of its customers and found that they are far more likely than average Americans to reduce their carbon footprint through a variety of means, including conservation. For example, 26% of TerraPass customers take public transportation to work, five times the national average.
* Quality. TerraPass addresses
additionality
Additionality is the property of an activity being additional by adding something new to the context. It is a determination of whether an intervention has an effect when compared to a baseline. Interventions can take a variety of forms but ofte ...
and other concerns by putting projects through a public review process which covers project details, environmental impacts, and additionality.
* Standards. All TerraPass projects are validated according to third-party standards, such as the
Voluntary Carbon Standard
The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), or Verra, formerly the Voluntary Carbon Standard, is a standard for certifying carbon emissions reductions. VCS is administered by Verra, a 501(c)(3) organization.
History
In 2005, carbon markets investment ...
.
* Tree-planting projects. TerraPass does not fund tree-planting projects, focusing exclusively on projects in which the carbon reductions are real, immediate, permanent, and verifiable.
TerraPass is an active contributor to standards development, and recently testified before the
House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, a congressional committee focused on
climate change and energy
In the 21st century, the earth's climate and its energy policy interact and their relationship is studied and governed by a variety of national and international institutions.
The relationships between energy-resource depletion, climate change, ...
independence. During his testimony, TerraPass CEO Erik Blachford called for governmental involvement in standards for the carbon offset industry.
TerraPass goes to Washington
References
{{reflist, 2
External links
TerraPass
Climate change organizations based in the United States
Companies based in San Francisco