The TerraPass difference

TerraPass is committed to delivering only the highest quality carbon offsets to our customers. We're proud of how our approach compares to those of other carbon offset providers. Here's an overview:

  1. We adopt the highest standards

    2. TerraPass portfolio mix

    TerraPass has just adopted VCS as its primary standard. We believe this ensures the highest quality of our offset portfolio.

    100% of our carbon offsets are verified against a broadly accepted standard by an independent third party verifier. In 2008 we are adopting the latest version of the Voluntary Carbon Standard (issued in 2007) as our primary standard, because we believe it ensures our customers will get the highest quality offsets available.

    We publish full details of our supported standards on our Product Content Label, which we provide with every TerraPass carbon offset purchase.

  2. Our carbon offsets happen in the same year you buy them

    3. It seems like common sense, but it's not common sense at other carbon offset providers, where you could be paying in 2008 for tree-planting carbon dioxide reductions that won't actually happen for as far off as 50 years from now.

    When you buy a carbon offset from TerraPass in 2008, the reductions you are paying for are happening when you expect them to happen, in 2008. Global warming is an urgent problem, and we want to make sure that our customers are making a difference now, not far off in the future.

  3. We publish full details on every offset project

    4. TerraPass portfolio mix

    Every year we publish full details of our offset portfolio

    Every year we publish a list of all the projects we bought carbon credits from in the previous year, including the project name, location, and type, and the exact amount of carbon credits we purchased from that project. This way our customers know exactly where their money goes.

    Other carbon offset providers don't do this, so it's difficult and sometimes impossible to know how much they are buying from various projects.

  4. Our carbon reductions are verified every step of the way

    5. We were the first carbon offset company in the U.S. to undergo a complete voluntary annual carbon purchasing audit. First, every reduction at every one of our projects gets verified by an accredited third party. Then, once a year, a third party auditor verifies that we are running our business in accordance with standards set by the Center for Resource Solutions, one of the leading authorities on carbon offsets and renewable energy in the US.

    We publish the letter issued by that auditor on our web site, so that our customers know that we are buying every ton of carbon we are obligated to buy. This way you know that we get everything checked and double-checked, every step of the way.

  5. We actually visit every project

    6. Renewable Sources of Energy

    Tom Arnold, TerraPass Chief Environmental Officer at the site of Michigan Dairies. We know exactly where our emissions credits come from.

    We work with each potential project to make sure it meets the high standards necessary to be part of our project portfolio, talking to the people involved and assessing all aspects of the project.

  6. We keep our prices competitive

    7. Because we only source carbon credits that meet the highest standards, we simply can't meet the prices offered by the bargain basement providers. We continue to believe that our customers appreciate the value in our uncompromising approach to quality.

  7. Our mission is fighting global warming

    8. TerraPass is a "mission-driven business". This means that unlike most other businesses we have a social goal: to reduce the greatest amount of carbon emissions we can. We do this through education, tools (such as those available in our store) and carbon offsets.

    We are passionate about fighting climate change and we believe the best way to do it is by running our business as a business, pushing ourselves to run a lean and efficient operation that can grow to meet the enormous challenge we face in global warming.

  8. We love to hear from you

    9. If you have any questions or comments about these principles then please get in touch. Our customer service phone line is open from 9am to 5pm PST at (877) 210-9581. Our email inbox works around the clock at info@terrapass.com. We're looking forward to talking to you.