Meeting Minutes - US Department of State

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plants on this planet, we are reducing the amount of
oxygen producing organisms that we need to live. So
the concept with carbon offsets is that if our
buildings are going to give off carbon dioxide,
which they do, shortened to carbon, then we have to
offset that somehow.
But there are three ways to do it. Offsets
is only one part. As everything in life, everything
is interrelated. So there are really three ways
that Donna mentioned. I just want to repeat this
again. There is energy efficiency, there is
emission offsets and there is renewable energy. Now
OBO is currently doing things on energy efficiency.
You are studying your interior lighting systems.
That's going to reduce energy use. You're reducing
the amount of energy wasted in your buildings by
looking at your heating and your cooling and also
building insulation. And with these high efficiency
systems, that's all helpful.
In terms of emission offsets, planting
trees, reforestation, I believe green roofs can
sometimes be considered for carbon sequestration,
which is what an offset is. You take the carbon,
you sink it into a carbon sink and these plants just
keep sucking it in. And that's just kind of the
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