How much have you actually kicked in on that "investment"?
If you live in California; not so much........
A Pacific Gas and Electric Co. program that asks customers to fight global warming by paying a little extra on their electricity bills has enrolled just 31,000 people and takes far more money to run than it generates.Now PG&E wants to extend the ClimateSmart program, even as consumer watchdogs question whether it's worth the money.
"Everyone agrees that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is important - this just might not be the best way to go about it," said Diana Lee, an attorney representing the consumer protection office of the California Public Utilities Commission.
Launched with great fanfare in 2007, ClimateSmart gives PG&E customers a way to go "carbon neutral."
People who sign up for the program pay a monthly fee - usually less than $3 - to offset greenhouse gas emissions from the power plants that supply their electricity. Most of the money funds forestry projects that pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. While other, smaller companies - such as TerraPass in San Francisco - offer similar services, ClimateSmart was the first such program from a utility.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/07/27/MNKQ18SLO5.DTL#ixzz0MYauPzST
Thanks reader Jeremy
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