It looks like one of these green credit cards we’ve seen being promoted may indeed be making a positive impact. I recently read an interesting article about the Brighter Planet credit card, issued by Bank of America, and found that the card has already funded some pretty fantastic projects.
The card works in the same way as other reward credit cards and green credit cards operate. Cardholders help the environment with rebates directed at environmental, renewable energy projects for all purchases made. For every dollar spent with the Brighter Planet card, card holders earn one EarthSmart point. These points are then redeemed automatically each month for the sole purpose of funding renewable energy projects sponsored by Brighter Planet. For every 1,000 points collected, one ton of carbon emissions is offset. In laymans terms, one ton of carbon emissions is equivalent to providing heating or cooling for a home for one month or removing a car from the road for 2,000 miles.
Interestingly enough, the card was actually developed from an economics class in Middlebury College. “A small group of us were looking at ways basically to address climate change on an individual level,” said a student in the class, Jake Whitcomb. “The a-ha moment was when we found out you could actually achieve something close to carbon neutrality. That is, having a net zero impact on the climate through investing that 1 percent in community-based renewable energy projects around the country.”
Whitcomb and his fellow classmates, Isham and Andy Rossmeissl, went on to found Brighter Planet, Inc.
Related Posts:
- Bank of America Offers Brighter Planet Card - If you’re interested in a credit card that will help you make a positive impact on the environment, you might be interested in...
- Brighter Planet Introduces Environmentally Friendly Credit Card - Soon, those of you that are concerned with the state of the environment will get to feel good about what you are...
- Carbon Emission Counting Latest Innovation By MasterCard - Becoming a credit card user with a green conscience will be made easier with MasterCard‘s latest innovation. Zachary Shahan writes about it...
- Top 5 Credit Cards That Make Charitable Donations - These days, the smart folks out there want their credit cards to do more than just pay for a purchase. They want...