Were you too busy eating factory-farmed beef lips out of a styrofoam container to properly celebrate Earth Day?
Don't worry. We won't tell, and it's not too late to make a difference. With Appalachian Carbon Partnership (ACP), you can offset your carbon emissions and at the same time preserve Appalachian forests.
Buying carbon offsets with ACP works like it does with most organizations. You, the energy grubbing proletariat, use an online calculator to estimate the amount of CO2 you produce annually. A dollar value is applied. You pay it, knowing that it is invested in greening things up.
Here's where ACP stands out. The money you give is spent to preserve and expand central Appalachian forests--specifically, the 90% of forestland that is owned by individuals. This is the kind of private property that your grandpa and grannie own, where maybe you collected pinecones as a kid, dammed streams to make swimming holes, or learned to hunt.
No one protects this land. According to ACP, less than five percent is under any kind of management plan, and it is being developed at an alarming rate. Every week, more than one square mile is converted to roads, sub-developments, and mines.
Often, the original landowners cave under financial pressure to sell the land they love. With ACP, they can generate income off their forests and help curb climate change.
But it all starts with your donation.  If you support ACP, how 's it working out for you? Whether you give or not, what do you think of the model?