Vote: +1

"My Green Cleaner love www.sandbag.org.uk because the idea is simple and OH-SO-do-able.

TRADING IN POLLUTION

1. Company A is allowed to emit 100.000 tonne of green house gases. (capped by EU/UN)
2. However they need to emit 150.000 tonne but the EU/UN will not budge on their allowance.
3. Their solution? They have to buy an emission permits from company B who will not be using their full allowance.
4. Each permit bought allows a company to emit 1 tonne of green house gases.

SANDBAG

1. Sandbag gets you to join as a fee-paying member.
2. The amount you pay is used to buy permits.
3. Buying permits will put less permits in circulation and will force the companies to either buy really expensive permits or find greener ways to operate.
4. Every £25 pounds used to buy permits cancels 1 tonne of emissions.

Simple and effective, we thinks."

By: My Green Cleaner :: 3 years ago

Vote: +0

"I'm a little bias. I volunteer for an environmental non-profit Deconstruction & Building Materials ReUse Network, Inc. www.decon-network.org. It offers a rational and green alternative to traditional demolition.

Here's how the program works. The homeowner donates their home to our organization. Now, I need to clarify the IRS does not allow trade for services. This is not free. The homeowner will have to pay for the deconstruction, which is performed by licensed contractors. The contractors remove the materials carefully and to put them into a donatable state, which is required by the IRS. This said, the homeowner does get a tax write off and in most cases the tax deduction offsets the cost of the deconstruction.

So, what happens to the materials? The materials are gifted to complementary non-profits like Habitat for Humanity that sells the materials in their ReStores and the lumber is gifted to Corazon, which builds homes in Mexico. Through our program approximately 75% of the building materials are diverted from the landfill."

By: HomeRecycler :: 3 years ago

Vote: +0

"I'm a little bias. I volunteer for an environmental non-profit Deconstruction & Building Materials ReUse Network, Inc. www.decon-network.org. It offers a rational and green alternative to traditional demolition.

Here's how the program works. The homeowner donates their home to our organization. Now, I need to clarify the IRS does not allow trade for services. This is not free. The homeowner will have to pay for the deconstruction, which is performed by licensed contractors. The contractors remove the materials carefully and to put them into a donatable state, which is required by the IRS. This said, the homeowner does get a tax write off and in most cases the tax deduction offsets the cost of the deconstruction.

So, what happens to the materials? The materials are gifted to complementary non-profits like Habitat for Humanity that sells the materials in their ReStores and the lumber is gifted to Corazon, which builds homes in Mexico. Through our program approximately 75% of the building materials are diverted from the landfill."

By: HomeRecycler :: 3 years ago

Vote: +0

"Firstly the whole idea of trade off between a permit and emitting of green house gasses , depends upon correct measurement of total green houses emitted by Company A. Who will be monitoring this emission? Who will be the arbitrator ? I do not think you can implement the UN laws across the Globe. Most of the countries do not give a damn to the UN. USA has till date not agreed to the Kyoto protocol. It's perception is totally different from others. I think we should aim at having own islands of excellence, where environment degradation is given top priority and steps are taken to stop it by practice and implementable steps. This can be our immediate community or town or our State. . We must keep the plan simple and executable where community participation is possible. These islands of excellence are then expanded till such time they encompass the entire world. banking on UN to solve our problem may not be practical. So to that extent I would agree with Home Recycler because what he has outlined is an easily executable proposal. Deepak"

By: dpuckjoe :: 3 years ago

Vote: +0

"@mygreencleaner, the idea you describe is sandbag is exactly how emission trading works between countries.. Country A has emitted more than its quotas then it can buy from Country B who hasnt. the problem comes when the target are set unrealistically. My understanding is that at the moment in Eastern europe, targetsare low although some of the countries emit high level of pollution. What it can sometimes lead to is countries using it as money making tool."

By: Hess :: 3 years ago