Delta Carbon

CHICAGO – On Wednesday, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, announced that the Delta Institute and National Wildlife Federation will receive a $400,000, three-year Conservation Innovation Grant to help farmers reduce harmful nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, enhance water quality and increase the profitability of responsible nutrient management practices.

The $400,000 grant is leveraged dollar-for-dollar by cash and in-kind resources contributed by the project team, which includes EKO Asset Management, American Carbon Registry, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma State University, American Farmland Trust, and DNDC Applications, Research and Training.

When Bank of America, Walmart and other large vendors began requiring their suppliers to measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), many companies were skeptical about what they would get out of the process. But as standardized, comparative indices like the CDP become more common (29% of companies will use carbon management as criteria for supplier selection by 2015), businesses are beginning to embrace them as not just a compliance exercise but as a beneficial investment.

Energy Works Michigan was ready to offset its carbon footprint. But the Ann Arbor-based non-profit wanted to take it a step further, endeavoring to purchase the kind of offsets that would reinvest in the local community. Delta's Carbon Offset program was a perfect fit.

As an offset aggregator, Delta sells carbon credits and uses the money to fund projects that reduce greenhouse gases or increase sequestering of greenhouse gases. An independent, third-party entity ensures that Delta's credits are high-quality offsets.

A new year, a new Congress, and a new outlook for carbon control in the U.S.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference is taking place in Cancun, Mexico, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 10.  Delta would like to contribute to this important global discussion with a brief Q&A about climate policy in the U.S.

1 – Is federal climate legislation likely in the near future?

Trees have value to their owners when they are cut down for lumber. But they have another, perhaps more beneficial role. As they grow, they absorb huge quantities of carbon, and play a significant role in reducing atmospheric pollution.