GETTING STARTED

How much does it cost to join OffsetYourShipping?
OffsetYourShipping is free, just fill out the application and your account will be approved instantly.

How it works
Each time you shop online, start by visiting OffsetYourShipping.com. Find the store you want to shop at and click the link to be taken directly to their web site. Shop and order as you normally would, no need to take any extra steps. Once the company ships the item they report the sale to us and we purchase the carbon offsets based on how much you spend. Remember, you must click the OffsetYourShipping.com link before each purchase in order to offset your shipping for that order.

Do I need to sign up to offset my shipping?
Signup is completely optional, it simply allows you to track the purchases you have made and the total carbon offsets you've generated. If you don?t wish to sign up, simply click the OffsetYourShipping link to your favorite stores and shop. Carbon offsets will still be generated for all your purchases and they will be reflected in the total carbon offset ticker on the OffsetYourShipping home page.  

Does this cost me anything extra? No, the carbon offsets provided by OffsetYourShipping are paid for by the merchants. You pay the same as if you had clicked directly to their site to shop.

Why do I need to have cookies enabled?
Cookies are needed if you want to track your purchases so that you can keep track of how much carbon you have offset.  If you do not want to use this feature there is no need to have cookies enabled. 

Why don't you have my favorite online store?
We are always looking for suggestions for new stores.  If there is a store you frequent online and would like to earn miles for shopping there, please contact us with the name of the store and your estimated yearly purchases there, and we will investigate adding it to our site.

GENERATING OFFSETS

What are carbon offsets and why do I need them?
Carbon dioxide is a gas produced by the engines of the aircraft, ships, trains, and ships that deliver the packages you order.  CO2 is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.  Carbon offsets are generated by either absorbing or offsetting carbon dioxide production.  Examples of offset projects are wind farms that displace fossil fuel power plants and reforestation projects which absorb CO2 and sequester it in the wood of the trees. 

How do I know my offsets are actually reducing CO2?
Carbon offset projects must meet a strict test of "additionality" in order to actually make an impact on global warming.  In general terms, this means that the offsetting activity wouldn't have happened unless it was supported by the offsets.  In other words, a wind farm that is already profitably in operation or a forest already in place wouldn't pass the additionality test because they happened without the benefits of carbon offset payments.  By purchasing all our offsets from the Chicago Climate Exchange we ensure that rigorous third party verification processes are applied to all your offsets.    

How much carbon is generated in shipping my package and how much do you offset?
The amount of carbon generated depends on the shipping method used and the weight of your package. Our calculator uses the worst case scenario, assuming that you air shipped your item and it was flown from the origin city to the destination city and then driven 25 miles for delivery to your house.  OffsetYourShipping will offset 5 pounds of CO2 for every dollar you spend. As a result even if you shipped a 17 lb bag of dog food from our partner Pets.com from New York to San Francisco, our 200 lb CO2 offset would still more then cover the 8 lbs of CO2 generated by shipping the item. For the vast majority of items we will offset much more then that generated by shipping your item. If you spend $15 on a CD or DVD from our partner buy.com and it only has to travel halfway across the country, we'll offset 75 lbs of CO2 and your item will generate less then 1 lb of CO2, leading to a net reduction of 74 lbs of CO2.

Where can I learn more?
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is an excellent resource discussing the standards for carbon footprint calculations and offset projects.