Washington’s 110 Democratic Party delegates and alternates at the national convention can claim they will have no net negative effect on the nation’s environment this week.
Through a party-fostered challenge, they bought into alternative energy projects at a high enough level to offset the amount of pollution-causing carbon dioxide created by their travel to, from and all around Denver.
Here’s how it worked.
The Democratic National Party figured delegates and alternates would generate one ton of carbon dioxide each. This is the math for that number.
Delegates could buy one ton of carbon offsets for $7.50; pay more and offset more. Delegates with a little help from IBEW Local 77 ended up buying 123 tons. All the money is going to NativeEnergy, a company that builds Native American, farmer-owned, community based renewable energy projects.
Portions of the money will go to wind turbine projects in Colorado and Minnesota, a methane gas plant at a dairy farm in Pennsylvania and a landfill gas-to-energy project in Illinois. Delegates won’t come home empty handed. Each delegate\who offsets their travel will receive a “unique wearable green item,” according to the DNC.
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