Carbon Neutral Volunteers has launched a drive to make history by making Okemos High School Green through energy efficiency, renewable energy and an innovative concept of Volunteer Carbon Credits.

Okemos, Michigan U.S (MMD Newswire) December 18, 2008 -- Carbon Neutral Volunteers (CNV) launched its drive to make Okemos High School, Michigan the first Carbon Neutral high school in the world.  The initiative aspires to attain this goal through energy efficiency, renewable energy and carbon offsets through mass volunteerism. Given the enormous challenge of global warming and climate change Dr. John Lanzetta, Ph.D, Principal; Okemos High School said “This program has been conceived by the students with a very ambitious and noble goal of making Okemos High School the first carbon neutral high school in the world.”

Hemi Gandhi, Founder and President of www.carbonneutralvolunteers.org developed the idea of Volunteer Carbon Credits© while working closely with Professor Brian S Thompson, Outreach & Engagement Senior Fellow  of Michigan State University on his research in the field of sustainability and alternative energy.

Professor Thompson explains: “Whereas the Kyoto Protocols and Voluntary Carbon Markets are primarily focused on large corporations and organizations, the concept of Volunteer Carbon Credits©  mobilizes ordinary citizens and leverages their passion and commitment to make behavioral and monetary pledges to offset the carbon footprint of an institution of their choice. “

“The www.carbonneutralvolunteers.org website allows volunteers to purchase solar ovens for deployment in Tanzania, Peru and India thereby reducing the destruction of trees, the burning of fossil fuels and the related soil degradation,” Hemi Gandhi adds. The website also offers individuals the choice of making personal commitments to reduce their carbon footprint by conserving energy at home, carpooling and planting trees while providing a quantitative estimate of the impact of individual choices on reducing the global carbon footprint. The Volunteer Carbon Credits© earned through these actions are then credited to Okemos High School.”   The Michigan based team is planning on expanding this concept to all schools within North America and launching a Global Challenge 2009 for Carbon Neutral Schools around the world. They plan to present their ideas at the International Conference on Energy and Sustainability in June 2009 in Bologna, Italy.

The www.carbonneutralvolunteers.org Solar Oven program in Morogoro, Tanzania is focused on designing and building solar ovens indigenously in close collaboration with Sokoine University and VETA. These solar ovens significantly impact climate change by reducing the destruction of trees, the burning of fossil fuels and the related soil degradation. This program aims to make a significant impact on the quality of life of the villagers, particularly women and children while initiating a growing cottage industry.
 
Media Contact:   David Zischke
(517) 285 – 9211
info@carbonneutralvolunteers.org

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