Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Rare’s technical team evaluates carbon projects from our trusted partners and then curates a selection of carbon projects that meet the highest quality standards (INSERT LINK). Our current partners include Cool Effect, New England Forestry Foundation, Bluesource, Everland and Gold Standard.

Carbon projects are certified projects, both in the United States and globally, that reduce or remove greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. These projects focus on one or more of the following activities:  they can sequester greenhouse gases (for example, through protecting and managing forests); they can replace fossil fuel usage with renewable energy (for example through clean cook stoves or use of wind or solar power); and/or they can eliminate a greenhouse gas that would have otherwise been emitted into the atmosphere (for example through methane gas capture from a landfill).

Your donation to Rare is used to purchase carbon offsets from one or more specified carbon projects.  Rare purchases large blocks of carbon offsets and then assigns individual recognition as individual donations are made. Rare’s Climate Culture program is focused on catalyzing people to adopt one or more of seven important behaviors to reduce carbon emissions.

A carbon offset is one important tool to address climate change and encourage climate forward practices like reforestation, renewable energy growth and ocean protection. With carbon offsets an individual can counter their personal carbon footprint and contribute to projects that are working towards a more sustainable future for all of us!

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “…greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and certain synthetic chemicals, trap some of the Earth's outgoing energy, thus retaining heat in the atmosphere. This heat trapping causes changes in the radiative balance of the Earth—the balance between energy received from the sun and emitted from Earth—that alter climate and weather patterns at global and regional scales.”

For more information, please see:

https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/greenhouse-gases

The U.S EPA goes on to state that, “Some greenhouse gases are emitted exclusively from human activities (e.g., synthetic halocarbons). Others occur naturally but are found at elevated levels due to human inputs (e.g., carbon dioxide). Anthropogenic sources result from energy-related activities (e.g., combustion of fossil fuels in the electric utility and transportation sectors), agriculture, land-use change, waste management and treatment activities, and various industrial processes. Major greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and various synthetic chemicals.

• Carbon dioxide is widely reported as the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas because it currently accounts for the greatest portion of the warming associated with human activities. Carbon dioxide occurs naturally as part of the global carbon cycle, but human activities have increased atmospheric loadings through combustion of fossil fuels and other emissions sources. Natural sinks that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (e.g., oceans, plants) help regulate carbon dioxide concentrations, but human activities can disturb these processes (e.g., deforestation) or enhance them.

• Methane comes from many sources, including human activities such as coal mining, natural gas production and distribution, waste decomposition in landfills, and digestive processes in livestock and agriculture. Natural sources of methane include wetlands and termite mounds.

• Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels.

• Various synthetic chemicals, such as hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and other synthetic gases, are released as a result of commercial, industrial, or household uses.

• Many other gases are known to trap heat in the atmosphere. Examples include water vapor, which occurs naturally as part of the global water cycle, and ozone, which occurs naturally in the stratosphere and is found in the troposphere largely due to human activities.

Each greenhouse gas has a different ability to absorb heat in the atmosphere, due to differences in the amount and type of energy that it absorbs, and a different “lifetime,” or time that it remains in the atmosphere.”

Tonne. The tonne is a metric unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is commonly referred to as a metric ton in the United States. It is equivalent to approximately 2,204.6 pounds.

Tonne of CO2e. While CO2 is the most common greenhouse gas in the Earth’s atmosphere, there are others including methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases.  The “e” is a way to equate the effects of these other greenhouse gases in CO2 terms (like an exchange rate for GHG).

A carbon footprint calculates the greenhouse gases released by a given company, organization, city, or individual. Understanding your own personal carbon footprint, in broad terms, allows you to contextualize how your actions contribute to greenhouse gas emissions overall, and gives you a framework to act towards mitigating that carbon footprint and becoming carbon neutral.

Carbon neutrality is achieved when one reduces their carbon emissions through specific behaviors or actions, and also purchases carbon credits to effectively have a net zero carbon emissions profile.

While there is variability in the carbon footprint for each consumer in the U.S. economy, the average American produces the equivalent of 16.6 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

Calculating a specific customized carbon footprint turns out to be challenging.  Depending on air travel, automobile usage, household energy expenditure, volume of purchases, and other factors, an individual’s carbon footprint can vary. To be more precise requires an investment of time to enter personal consumer granular data.  We are also conscious of privacy concerns with personal data.  Our main driving goal is not an exact footprint, but instead prioritizing getting concerned individuals engaged in a broader set of seven behavior changes that will have the most impact.

Rare’s collection of carbon projects are located both within the United States and globally around the world.

Carbon projects charge different amounts because of a variety of factors including project type, location, supply and demand and age of credit. The typical range of a carbon credit is $10 to $30 per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Yes! By supporting a carbon project through Rare, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, your donation is 100% tax deductible.

If your donation was charged using a credit card, the credit card processor charges fees to Rare that are deducted from the total donation amount.  In addition, Rare charges a flat 5% administrative fee that is used to support the Rare Climate Culture program.  All the remaining donation is used by Rare to support the carbon project selected.

Yes! Rare stands behind its carbon projects and will honor refund requests for 30 days after the donation is made.  No questions asked.