In response to warnings that our planet is in danger from the effects of human development, many of the nations of the world have joined together to limit the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere that we all share.

The most comprehensive of these initiatives is the agreement that produced the Kyota Protocol.  Here is how the United Nations defines The “carbon market”.

The limits on greenhouse-gas emissions set by the Kyoto Protocol are a way of assigning monetary value to the earth's shared atmosphere -- something that has been missing up to now. Nations that have contributed the most to global warming have tended to benefit directly in terms of greater business profits and higher standards of living, while they have not been held proportionately accountable for the damages caused by their emissions. The negative effects of climate change will be felt all over the world, and actually the consequences are expected to be most severe in least-developed nations which have produced few emissions. (from United Nations website)     
http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/background/items/2880.php

Q- What are carbon credits anyway?
Here’s what Wikipedia says on its’ website.
Carbon credits are a key component of national and international emissions trading schemes that have been implemented to mitigate global warming. They provide a way to reduce greenhouse effect emissions on an industrial scale by capping total annual emissions and letting the market assign a monetary value to any shortfall through trading. Credits can be exchanged between businesses or bought and sold in international markets at the prevailing market price. Credits can be used to finance carbon reduction schemes
(from wikipedia website)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_credit#Kyoto.27s_.27Flexible_mechanisms.27

Q- Aren’t some people trying to cash in with phony schemes? 
Yes… in the 21st century on a planet that many suggest is warming due to an exploding human population… there are many people who will cheat you in the name saving the planet.  Do your homework before investing in any company that promises to save the environment by selling you anything you can’t see or hold.

And… don’t believe everything you read or hear about products claiming to be safe for the environment.  Check out this item on the popular website www.snopes.com . It gives us a great example of how bad information can potentially ruin a proven technology.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp

The Green Pages is providing these links so that you can familiarize yourself with the various that have been introduced into the environmental issue.

For more information on eco-friendly sevices, check out the Pinellas Living Green Expo, coming May 3 and 4th to the Harborview Center in Clearwater.  Click here.