Carbon Offsets

Build a Strategic Approach to Natural Gas Sustainability Leveraging Carbon Offsets

Constellation can help you achieve long-term sustainability goals by seamlessly integrating carbon offsets into your natural gas procurement strategy. Use carbon offsets  to support carbon reducing projects and offset your carbon footprint.

Indirectly reduce  emissions through the purchase of carbon offsets, which represent a verified reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide, or other greenhouse gas emissions, made elsewhere through forestry, energy efficiency, industrial process improvements and carbon capture & sequestration projects.

A carbon offset is a verified reduction in carbon dioxide emissions that can be used to offset Scope 1 or Scope 3 GHG emissions from on-site fuel consumption, company travel, or supply chain activities. Carbon offsets offer a lower-cost option to help customers achieve decarbonization goals. In addition, carbon offsets can be recorded separately as an offset on sustainability reports.

Carbon Offset Program Benefits

• Low-cost alternative for businesses to offset emissions 
• Allows the offset of emissions beyond your operations, such as company travel and supply chains
• No facility or equipment modifications are required. 
• Contribute to the funding of projects that reduce carbon emissions.

Types of Carbon Offset Projects

Constellation's carbon offsets are sourced from reputable projects independently verified by registries and benefit local communities across the United States. Constellation currently provides carbon offsets from two pools: national and forestry. The nationally diverse pool of offsets includes carbon reduction value from various project types, including but not limited to carbon capture and sequestration, energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, and others based on availability. The domestic forestry offset pool contains carbon reduction value from better forestry project management, growth, and preservation.  A sampling of our current offset projects is provided below:

Landfill Gas Capture Projects

The collection and capture of landfill gas reduce methane emissions into the atmosphere while also assisting in the reduction of odors and other hazards associated with landfill gas emissions.

Renewable Energy Projects

Renewable energy projects that meet additionality (beyond business as usual) requirements may be eligible to generate carbon offsets. Renewable energy is electricity generated from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Because they are constantly replenished on Earth, these energy sources are considered renewable. Renewable energy projects that generate carbon offsets have demonstrated that their output reduces greenhouse gas emissions above and beyond what would have occurred in the absence of the project. Unlike purchasing a renewable energy certificate, the purchase of a carbon offset from a renewable energy project does not grant the purchaser the right to make claims based on renewable energy purchases from the project.

Forestry Projects 

Forestry is the science and practice of establishing, managing, using, and conserving forests, trees, and associated resources in an environmentally sustainable manner. Growing and maintaining the diversity of natural forest communities, managing ecological regimes, and reducing harvesting impacts on forests are all examples of practices. Co-benefits include the preservation of rare species' habitats and the recreational use of forestry properties.

Source: www.epa.gov, www.usda.gov/topics/forestry