If just one person or a stakeholder at one other company reads this section, thinks about it, and then acts on it, this space will be well-used…

Have you heard of the concept of purchasing carbon offsets? If you have, you will be pleased to know that Alara purchases carbon offsets for all the energy our gallery and design studio uses, plus for all the travel all Alara employees make to and from work on a daily basis, as well as business travel to points beyond.

Have no idea what we’re writing about? Well, since we’re unable to install solar panels or windmills on our rooftop, we’re doing the next best thing. We calculate what Alara’s “carbon footprint” is for the use of all the electricity and gas we use for the running of the business and for the travel of our employees. We then purchase “offsets” that result in solar and wind power being developed off-site.

You can do this, too! You can do it as an individual or as a business-owner, or you can certainly encourage your employer to follow suit.

Instead of giving “favors” to your wedding guests, consider having each guest’s placesetting decorated with a card that informs them that they are a guest at a “Green Wedding.” That’s right—you purchased carbon offsets to account for all the car and air travel of your guests, so that your elaborate event wasn’t thrown at the expense of the planet. Throw a couple web addresses on the card…and if even one person follows suit…well, you get the idea.

As counter-intuitive as it sounds, “tree-planting” is not generally considered to be a true offset, which is why those offsets cost less. Do your research, and after the one-time set-up, everything else is pretty much a breeze.