It's hip to be green and even more so to be carbon neutral. Everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to the Rolling Stones to political campaigns to events like the Super Bowl are carbon neutral. It is so hot that in 2006, the New Oxford American Dictionary made "carbon neutral" the word of the year. So what does carbon neutral really mean? The concept is to have a zero carbon footprint. We can agree what zero means. Now let's do the math. For every ton of CO2 you contribute to the atmosphere through activities like traveling or electricity consumption from nonrenewable sources, you can offset that ton with the purchase of carbon credits. For example, the average driver emits five tons of CO2 per year. To make your traveling carbon neutral, one would purchase five tons of CO2 from a reforestation project or a wind project. So, your driving causes five tons to be emitted but your purchase of five tons reduces your personal account to zero, making your driving carbon neutral.

Carbon Dioxide (aka Carbon or CO2) is emitted when combustion takes place. Every time we flip on a light switch, 51% of that power comes from the combustion of coal. This act causes carbon dioxide to be emitted. Likewise, every time we fill up our cars and hit the gas pedal, we are combusting fossil fuels to propel us forward, leaving a trail of carbon dioxide in our wake.

By being carbon neutral you are making a conscientious statement to be a part of the solution. For businesses, there is an extra, added benefit of what such a statement conveys to your customers. Okay, so you are convinced that going carbon neutral is what you want to do for you and/or your business. How does one go about it? It is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Calculate your footprint. A good calculator can be found at http://www.atmosclear.org/calculator_tran.php.

2. Decide what type of offset you wish to purchase. There are many types of offsets available. One word of caution, make sure to purchase your carbon from a trustworthy outfit.

3. Purchase the amount you need to bring your carbon footprint to zero. Now, you are carbon neutral.

Chandler Van Voorhis is Managing Partner of Carbon Farmers, a forest carbon aggregation company located in Middleburg, VA. For more information on Carbon Farmers, visit www.carbonfarmers.com