Lagniappe

When I lived in New Orleans, before Katrina, I learned a word the locals used to mean something for nothing, Lagniappe. The term came to mind when I saw this badge for Brighter Planet's 350 Challenge.

According to the Brighter Planet page, in exchange for posting their badge on your web site, Brighter Planet will purchase and donate 350 pounds of carbon offsets for every participant in the 350 Challenge. On the surface it sounds great. I've seen similar campaigns for a wide range of issues such as hunger. But I starting thinking, doesn't this send the wrong message? Doesn't it just reinforce the idea that you can sit on your butt, in front of a computer, doing very little, and save the environment? Something for nothing!

A closer look at the 350.org site illuminates their motivation. They sell offsets that fund green projects such as windmills. So for them, its advertising plain and simple. The folks that participate, get to feel good about themselves in exchange for free advertising. So it isn't really a gift. If you dig a little, there is information about calculating your carbon foot print and conservation, but it might have sent a better message if this had been more prominent.