Comments on: Amps & Offsets: Going Green on Tour http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour/ A design blog with a particular emphasis on green design, design for society, and environmental technologies, Vestal Design Blog also discusses web design, product design, graphic design, and architecture. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:51:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Bob http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour/comment-page-1/#comment-26166 Bob Sat, 03 Mar 2007 02:29:26 +0000 http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour.html#comment-26166 More interesting stuff from both sides: These carbon offsets shift back the demand curve for dirty power but they also shift out the supply curve for power as a whole...Competition from wind power forces down the price of the monopolistic dirty power company (electricity?), which means that other people buy more of it. The quantity of dirty power consumed might well go up rather than down. http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2007/02/do_carbon_offse.html More interesting stuff from both sides:

These carbon offsets shift back the demand curve for dirty power but they also shift out the supply curve for power as a whole…Competition from wind power forces down the price of the monopolistic dirty power company (electricity?), which means that other people buy more of it. The quantity of dirty power consumed might well go up rather than down.

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2007/02/do_carbon_offse.html

]]> By: Mike Lin http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour/comment-page-1/#comment-25268 Mike Lin Mon, 26 Feb 2007 18:10:42 +0000 http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour.html#comment-25268 A recent NY Times article tackles the question, "Carbon credits - useless indulgences for those unwilling to actually change their behavior?" http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/20/business/worldbusiness/20carbon.html (read it while it's still hot and free on NYT) A recent NY Times article tackles the question, “Carbon credits – useless indulgences for those unwilling to actually change their behavior?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/20/business/worldbusiness/20carbon.html

(read it while it’s still hot and free on NYT)

]]> By: Jeffrey Goodman http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour/comment-page-1/#comment-22759 Jeffrey Goodman Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:14:49 +0000 http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour.html#comment-22759 Bob, I think you're right in that a lot of the talk about offsets is just that: talk. But it seems to me that Andrew Bird is taking some things that would normally be negative towards the environment (like driving his tour bus or powering his amps) and trying to make them - at worst - a 'neutral.' Andrew Bird is a musician, so he doesn't have a choice whether to go on tour - that's his job. So being carbon neutral is his way of changing his job to be more environmentally friendly, just like how you have the option to bike to work or recycle paper. If nothing else, he's getting the word out to his audience, which can't be said for most media these days. Bob, I think you’re right in that a lot of the talk about offsets is just that: talk. But it seems to me that Andrew Bird is taking some things that would normally be negative towards the environment (like driving his tour bus or powering his amps) and trying to make them – at worst – a ‘neutral.’

Andrew Bird is a musician, so he doesn’t have a choice whether to go on tour – that’s his job. So being carbon neutral is his way of changing his job to be more environmentally friendly, just like how you have the option to bike to work or recycle paper.

If nothing else, he’s getting the word out to his audience, which can’t be said for most media these days.

]]> By: Bob http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour/comment-page-1/#comment-22738 Bob Thu, 15 Feb 2007 18:47:49 +0000 http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour.html#comment-22738 Ok, this "offsets" thing bothers me a bit. It's kind of like when I used to consider my cycling as an "environmental activity". But really, I was just going for a ride that ended up back at my house. I wasn't *doing* anything, just taking a trip that had the same outcome as if I'd done nothing. Same with offsets. All it does at best is reduce the guilt level to zero. And worse, he's still doing some damage to the environment through his travel and setup, and paying someone else to clean up the mess. Now, if this guy was donating all his profits to climate change research or offsets in addition to what he used, then he might be making an impact. But, you say, "It's better than nothing!" No. It is exactly nothing--at best. Ok, this “offsets” thing bothers me a bit. It’s kind of like when I used to consider my cycling as an “environmental activity”. But really, I was just going for a ride that ended up back at my house. I wasn’t doing anything, just taking a trip that had the same outcome as if I’d done nothing.

Same with offsets. All it does at best is reduce the guilt level to zero. And worse, he’s still doing some damage to the environment through his travel and setup, and paying someone else to clean up the mess.

Now, if this guy was donating all his profits to climate change research or offsets in addition to what he used, then he might be making an impact.

But, you say, “It’s better than nothing!” No. It is exactly nothing—at best.

]]> By: Mike Lin http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour/comment-page-1/#comment-22635 Mike Lin Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:54:42 +0000 http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2007/02/amps-offsets-going-green-on-tour.html#comment-22635 ...and in case you haven't heard, Al Gore is taking his climate tour on the road with a concert that's due to dwarf Live Aid and Live8! http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2005/06/live-8.html Gore Concert: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/ebad1e4a-b719-11db-8bc2-0000779e2340.html ...and in case you haven’t heard, Al Gore is taking his climate tour on the road with a concert that’s due to dwarf Live Aid and Live8!
http://www.vestaldesign.com/blog/2005/06/live-8.html

Gore Concert:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/ebad1e4a-b719-11db-8bc2-0000779e2340.html

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