We often receive emails asking “Why should I sign up?  Can one person lowering a thermostat a few degrees really make a difference?”  The answer is a resounding yes.

  MyEmissionsExchange is founded on the idea that each and every person can make small changes, and see some personal gain for those actions.

On Saturday, however, more than just MyEEx members are called to take some action for the climate.  350.org, an international campaign dedicated to creating an equitable global climate treaty that lowers carbon dioxide below 350 parts per million, has organized an International Day of Climate Action on Saturday, October 24. 2009.

Why October 24?

October 24 marks six weeks until COP15 – United Nationals Climate Change Conference.  Governments will be convening in Copenhagen, Denmark in an attempt to create a new climate treaty.  350.org, along with the dozens of other organizations partnering with the efforts, believe that this Day of Action is the best chance to influence the treaty before governments have the final say.

Currently, over 3891 events have been organized in 164 countries.  The idea is to show that not only is 350 possible, but it coincides with demands of people all over the globe.

What are people doing? How can I get involved?

Simply enter your zip code on this site, and see what projects are available near you: http://www.350.org/action-list

People will be doing everything from putting banners on the Easter Island statues to demonstrating underwater!

The citizens of Copenhagen even plan to observe an Earth Hour at 7 pm on the day before COP15 concludes, December 16.

There’s nothing in my area.  What can I do?

If Climate Action Day isn’t something you can do, why not take action by inviting 10 friends to join MyEEx.  Think about it this way: if 200 average households reduced their carbon footprint 10%, the CO₂ reduction would be equal to taking over 130 cars off the road for a year.

Who is that guy in the picture?

That’s Pemba Dorje Sherpa, the record holder for the fastest climb of Everest, and supporter of 350.org.

You have three options to enter your utility data and establish your baseline before you can start reducing and earning.

  1. Enter your data on your own

  2. Send/Scan your bill to info@myeex.com

  3. Email us your utility company, username, and password to info@MyEEx.com and we will securely populate your history (see our Privacy Policy).

For those of you who have chosen the first option, and may have hit a roadblock along the way, this latest blog post is for you!

Data entry is the only part of the Measure-Reduce-Earn process that will require a bit of your time. Luckily, you only have to do this ONCE!

In order to help you through the data entry process, follow these steps:

1. Have your latest utility bill(s) handy.

2. Once you have created and activated your account, Sign In to your account. This will take you to your Profile page.

3. Step One: Choose your heat source from drop down.

4.  Step Two: Select based on whether your bill shows per day rates or month overall.  ex: 5 kWh per day or 150 kWh for the whole month.

5.  Step Three: You will be prompted to choose whether your heating and electric bills come monthly (once per month) or bi-monthly (every other month).

6. Select your heat source units – either CCF, MCF, therm, gigajoule or cubic meter.

7. Look at your utility bill and find the 12-month history of your consumption. Note: you only enter your usage or consumption, not your cost. If your bill does not have 12-months of history, you may have to go to the utility website to download your history. If your bill has only a graph of your consumption and no numbers, then use a ruler on the graph and estimate the numbers.

· Please SAVE YOUR BILLS, as MyEEx.com needs them to verify your numbers when it comes time for a credit earning.

8. Once you have entered and checked this information, select either “Save” or “Committ”.  Click “Save” if you’re unsure and want to double-check.  Click  “Committ” if you’re absolutely sure about the  numbers, and realize that you will only be able to edit those numbers via a MyEEx administrator in the future.

That’s it! Follow these steps, and you will complete the first step of the Measure-Reduce-Earn process. Check out the reduction page to get help reducing, come back to the site to update your energy consumption, and collect your EARNINGS when your credits are sold!

As the months go by, be sure you’re updating your monthly data using these steps:

1. Click the yellow triangle on the top right side of “My Profile” that corresponds to the month you have yet to enter.

2. If you chose “monthly” (meaning your utility numbers are per month, not per day), you’ll see “per month values” on the top left of the resulting screen.

3.  Enter values for electric and heat.  The units shown on the right side of the screen should match those on your bill, obviating the need for any conversions.

Should you need any help, be sure to hit the “Help +” button on the right side of the My Profile screen.

Measure, Reduce and EARN!

Answers to other Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How can I change my account password?

A: To change your password, first sign in to your account to get to your profile page.  Towards the top, you will see a tab that reads ‘My Account,’  and after you click that, a tab labeled ‘Change Password.’

If you have lost/forgotten your password, go to this link to have your password emailed to you, or you can contact a MyEEX administrator to have your password reset.

Q: I have moved within the past year, and do not have 12 months of data yet for my baseline.  What should I do?

A: We have a number of users in this position.  What you should do is fill in whatever months you have available in your baseline data, and then contact a MyEEx administrator for instructions on how to proceed with entering your data in the coming months.  Once you have established 12 months of data, you can begin earning credits.

The easiest way to start reducing is simply effort. Having energy conservation on your mind will cut out the most wasteful energy consumption: turn off lights that aren’t being used, turn off your computer monitor and television when not in use, close off all rooms you aren’t using. Simply turning off unneeded lights and reducing vampire losses by turning off unneeded appliances will save you an average of $70 a year. Cut out 2 minutes of wasted shower-time and save an additional $39 a year.

In addition to effort, there are several free, low-cost, and once-and done tips that will reduce your home energy consumption:

• The easiest: switch to CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs).  These light bulbs are slightly more expensive in stores, but don’t shy away from the higher retail price at the checkout counter! The higher price will be more than offset by energy savings. CFLs use 77% less energy to produce the same light and functionality as equivalent 100W incandescent bulbs, and last 10 times longer. You can save an average of $9.50 per bulb!
• Photo-sensitive LED night lights cost less than 25 cents a year to run, and are guaranteed to last a lifetime.
• Programmable thermostats are a must. Lower your thermostat one degree in the winter and raise it one degree in the summer and save an average of $51 on your bill. If you are more ambitious, change the thermostat two or three degrees. A three degree change in the winter and summer will save you $153!

These are just a few of countless quick, easy, once-and-done tips to lower your home energy bill. Lower the temperature on your hot water heater, wash only full loads, use your microwave instead of your oven, turn off heat dry on your dishwasher … the list goes on.

MyEmissionsExchange will be expanding to include comprehensive reduction tips, customizable reduction plans and community discussions. For now, use this blog to share your ideas and help other users like you save and earn money on their energy reductions. Everyone could use quick and easy ways to effectively cut their energy bill. Got some? Post them here…

Setting up a MyEmissionsExchange account is fast, FREE, and easy:

1. SIGN UP for MyEmissionsExchange from the home page. Create your account by entering the necessary information and clicking submit. MyEmissionsExchange will send you an activation e-mail. Activate it!

2. For this step, make sure you have your utility bill handy! After clicking the activation e-mail, log-in to your new account. The next screen will prompt you to enter your utility history. Go ahead and enter it! For any questions check out the Data Entry section of our FAQs or e-mail us at administrator@MyEex.com

3. Go to the “My PayPal” tab in your profile and click “Add New.” Enter your PayPal e-mail ID. If you are not currently signed up with PayPal, don’t worry! PayPal is absolutely free and you don’t even need to sign up right away. Just go to PayPal.com and sign up before you are able to collect some cash! Wondering why we chose PayPal? It’s a fast, easy and secure way to collect your earnings.

4. REDUCE! Now that you have successfully set-up your account, you are ready to REDUCE and EARN. Check out the Reductions tab for a list of ways to begin saving. Remember, the easiest way to go about conserving energy is EFFORT! Turn off the lights when you aren’t using them, and unplug unused appliances.

As you continue to reduce, be sure to check out MyEmissionsExchange.com for updated reduction tips, videos and blogs. After each month, log-in to your profile to input your most recent consumption data.

BE GREEN, EARN GREEN!

Cost? – It’s FREE!

New Users – All you have to do is register and enter your baseline utility info to be eligible.  Go to the Sweepstakes page to learn more.

Existing Members – Log in & go to your Profile page and make sure your monthly updates are current.  Enter data for any month that has a yellow triangle, if every month has a check mark, you’re eligible!

Once you are eligible, you’ll be in the drawing every week.  If you want to read all the Rules, got to the bottom of the About Us page.

Good luck!

And don’t forget to Measure, Reduce and Earn.

You may be wondering, what exactly IS a Carbon Credit? The idea is interesting, but what do I do next? You’re not alone! Since we started MyEmissionsExchange, we have received lots of questions like: How does this work? Is this for real? Well, it’s definitely for real, but it’s very new. Carbon credits, or offsets as they are also known, have been used by companies for only a few years. The cool part about MyEmissionsExchange is that the opportunity for individuals to use them is brand new. Here are some common questions we’re asked.

What is a carbon credit?

Your life is powered by energy. Your home produces CO2 emissions from this energy use. That energy use, when measured, is sometimes called your “carbon footprint.” (not too complicated, huh?) Therefore, when your energy use is reduced, so are your carbon emissions.

If you output 20 units in one month, and 15 units for the following months – your net reduction is 5. Those 5 units go toward creating a carbon credit. Prior to MyEmissionsExchange, these carbon credits have only been produced by companies, and bought by other companies.

Now, through MyEmissionsExchange, you can sell those credits, just like companies do. You can make money for yourself, and help the environment.

What is a credit worth?

Credits are sold in a market place so the price varies, but as an example credits in April 2009 sold for about $18 per ton.

How much do I stand to earn?

You earn in 2 ways with credits.

1. A typical family can save from $200/year to over $1000/year on their utility bill costs alone.
2. That same family can earn an additional $25-$75 per year from their carbon credits.

We know what you’re thinking … “If I want to continually get credits, I’ll have to reduce 10% one month, then 20% the next month, and before I know it, I’ll have to cut all electricity use !?”  Wrong!  The best part is: by maintaining a certain level of month-to-month reduction, you continually receive the SAME level of savings and earnings.  For example: reduce your utility bill 10% from January to February and save $100 on your utility bill and earn $15 for your credits. By simply maintaining the same level of energy usage from February to March – without implementing any new reduction behaviors – your utility bill would be the same as the month prior ($100 less than the baseline month) and you would earn an additional $15 for your new credit. You are $115 richer from your energy usage in February without changing a thing!

What do I have to do?

In order to measure your home’s footprint (which is all we’re tracking, for now), there are 3 steps to the whole process – Measure, Reduce and Earn.

1. Measure – Enter your energy consumption for electricity and heating at your address for the last 12 months – that’s just 2 numbers for each month. This info is usually found right on your utility bill.
2. Reduce– After you figure out your usage (via utility usage entered), MyEmissionsExchange will suggest ways to reduce your energy use. We then calculate your reductions, energy savings and credits for you in your Profile.
3. Earn– Once you have earned 1 Credit of carbon reductions (equal to 1 ton), we certify that credit, and sell it for you. The proceeds are paid to you through your PayPal account.

How much does it cost?

Z-E-R-O. Zilch. Goose egg. There isn’t even a penalty if you can’t reduce!

This is great! When can I start?

JUNE 15^th !

If you have any more questions, feel free to send them to us at MyEmissionsExchange.

My Emissions Exchange has recently interviewed Dr. Norman Airs of the Carbon Awareness Institute and in addition we have invited him to express his viewpoint at MyEex.com.  The opinions that follow are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of My Emissions Exchange.

Carbon Dioxide – What a Wonderful Gas by Dr. Norman Airs

Look around you and see the first signs of spring – crocuses and daffodils popping out of the ground.  All of this is brought to you through the benefits of Carbon Dioxide.  The plentiful surplus of food produced in the U.S. is all a result of the power of CO2 and photosynthesis.  Yet we are inundated with daily news  stories about the need to solve the “problem” of CO2.

Wake up my friends, there is no problem with CO2 unless we try to limit its amazing benefits.  Every day we have more hand wringing over global warming – do you feel warmer?  I don’t .  This past January was 10 degrees colder than January a year ago and northern climates had record snowfalls.  Where is the global warming?  It doesn’t exist,  except in the mind of Al Gore.  Beware of the media’s rush to create a problem that doesn’t exist.  Think back to 1999 and all the “experts” saying  Y2K would bring computers to a halt and life as we know it would collapse.   And what exactly happened – Nothing!  All the “experts” were wrong and they are wrong again!

The increase in CO2 concentration in our atmosphere will be a tremendous benefit to the entire world by increasing the rate of photosynthesis.  This will generate increased food production globally and we will eliminate hunger in the world!  What a marvelous outcome, so who could be opposed to that?

For starters, who manages the global boondoggle known as the Kyoto Protocol – the United Nations.  The same United Nations that has for decades tried to improve agricultural development and eliminate starvation –without success.  The elimination of starvation as a result of increased CO2 will show the UN programs to be a fraud and a waste, so naturally they are opposed to admitting the benefits of CO2.

If you look through the lists of countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol, what common theme can you observe? Most are European countries, but it isn’t because of environmental benevolence that they have joined up.  It is a reaction to the failure of their socialistic economies to compete with the market economy of the U.S.  Unable to compete with the U.S., they want to drag us down to their level, by having us commit to wasteful and foolish projects to mistakenly reduce CO2.  Europeans also want us to stop using coal.  Since continental Europe has few native energy resources, they are jealous of our abundant coal supplies and the competitive advantage they give us.  Europeans don’t care about the environment, they just want to make us as inefficient and uncompetitive as they are!

My friends, our biggest worry is the shift in attitude of the U.S. government.  Until recently, our government has rightly shrugged off the ludicrous ideas peddled by the UN and the Europeans.  However, there now seems to be a shift towards accepting these disastrous attempts at CO2 reduction.  Our government is now trying to influence the science that proved global warming is a farce.  Satellite temperature measurements of the Earth have already shown the temperature of the planet is not rising.  NASA recently launched the definitive climate satellite that would have conclusively ended the misinformation of global warming, but mysteriously the satellite failed on launch with still no explanation from NASA as to the cause. Our government is afraid of the truth!

We are at the dawn of a new global age where CO2 will eliminate world hunger and make our planet a more comfortable place to live, but we are at risk that all of these benefits will be tossed aside by Neanderthals that don’t understand science.  I implore you to join me and embrace the carbon cycle and the progress it will bring to our planet!

God Bless!

If you were driving a car at that time, you may still be having nightmares.  Gasoline was $0.39 per gallon and life was good, until OPEC imposed the first oil embargo and the price of gas went to $0.53 (37% increase) overnight and then steadily climbed to $1.19 by the end of the decade.  Even worse, you had to wait in line to buy gas and sometimes couldn’t get gas at all. Who could forget the even and odd day allocation system whereby you could only buy gas on specified days depending on the last digit of your license plate.

That event changed our whole perspective on energy consumption and our dependence on unfriendly countries for  oil supply – but was it a permanent change?  At that time, we had an immediate goal to reduce consumption and limit our exposure to imported oil.  Many changes were made to achieve this goal, such as requiring fuel economy standards for new cars (27.5 mpg per the CAFÉ standard).  That resulted in smaller cars (how many remember the K car?), smaller engines and new car designs (front wheel drive – good, diesel cars – not so good).  We all slowed down due to the national speed limit of 55mph, NASCAR even shortened their races by 10% and we had year round daylight savings time.

Did all of these changes have any effect?  Actually, the improvement was remarkable.  The U.S. consumed 18.8 million barrels/day of oil in 1978 and reduced that to 15.2 million in 1983 (19% lower).  Fast forward 25 years and all that positive action should have carried forward to solve our energy problems – but what happened?

We lost our way in the  late 1980’s when oil prices stabilized and we went back to big cars and trucks, and removed many of the conservation laws (CAFÉ, 55mph) that helped us to reduce.  We slacked off when the short term outlook improved and ignored the long term view, which was only getting worse. Well, the long term view is now the present and in 2008 we found ourselves paying $4.00/gallon and whining for someone to do something.

We were doing something, but we gave up when the short term threat was minimized.  Now 35 years later, we are faced with the same energy problems – scarcity, price volatility and foreign dependence plus one new problem, global warming brought on by CO2 emissions.

Have we learned any lessons since 1973?  Certainly the opportunity lost is that if we had worked as hard at conserving and innovating the last 25 years, as the 10 years before that, we would be in a much better position.  Imagine if 25% or more of our electricity today was being generated by wind or electric, and hybrid cars were the most popular types to buy!  We can’t change history, but what can we do about the future?

Our own history shows, we can make significant changes in our energy consumption as evidenced by the 19% reduction in oil usage in 1983, but it also highlights the role of economic benefit in making lasting changes.  Altruism isn’t what changes most people’s habits, it’s economic benefit.  Environmental and commercial interests have long been directly at odds with each other and wary of aligning any efforts.  No doubt there has been good reason in many cases for the conflict, but if we want to influence change, then we must realize the importance that economic interest plays in motivating change.

In 1973, many of the policy changes were mandates from the government and that approach will still play an important, if not primary, role in carbon reduction policy. However, the difference now is the opportunity for individuals and groups to directly reduce carbon emissions through management of their personal choices.  One approach is offered by MyEmissionsExchange, which offers the tools that anyone can use to Measure, Reduce and Earn.

If you want to reduce the amount you use, or create of anything, you have to first be able to measure it.  The typical family in the U.S. creates 65,000 lbs/yr of direct carbon emissions (>30 tons!).  There are very few items that weigh 30 tons that you wouldn’t notice, unless they are invisible like carbon dioxide gas!  Fortunately, you already have all the info that tells you how much CO2 you produce, it is right there in your monthly utility bills.  It does require a little math to calculate it, but MyEex.com does that for you and it gives you your personal and accurate Carbon Footprint – not an estimate built on assumptions, but your exact footprint.  From there, MyEex will provide you with tips on how to reduce and every month your utility bills will measure your progress.  Your Reductions will not only save you money on energy costs, but you will create Carbon Credits (just like major projects such as  wind energy) and MyEex will bundle them with other member’s credits and sell them in the global offset market, giving you a second way to earn from carbon reduction.

History tells us that we can be successful at reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, and it will be sustainable if we align individual’s economic interests with the policy intentions.  MyEex is one way to organize and focus all of the individual efforts to reduce carbon emissions and provide the motivation that only economic benefit can provide.

An interesting record was set on March 5^th.  Spain generated 30% of their electricity needs from wind power, and for a few peak hours the wind turbines covered 40% of its requirements!  Spain was able to achieve this because they have the 3^rd largest amount of wind power installed in the world (16,000 MW) and a period of stormy weather created record setting conditions.

If Spain is 3^rd in the world in wind power installations,  then who is 1^st?  You might be surprised to know it is the U.S. at 25,000 MW.  However, the U.S. is in a much different position than Spain, in that only 1.1% of U.S. electricity is produced by wind power.  What does all that mean? The U.S. has more wind turbines, but Spain has made a bigger commitment to wind energy than the U.S.

There are several factors slowing U.S. development of wind power, but one prominent issue is the appearance of the tall wind turbines, or visual pollution as opponents describe them.  Some wind projects have been delayed for several years over legal challenges based on the aesthetic appearance of wind farms.  Yes, a wind farm in your neighbor’s yard has a negative impact on you, but how much visual harm can be attributed to a wind turbine located 10 miles away? One solution would be to handle wind farm aesthetic issues through the process of eminent domain.

The location of power transmission lines has long been an eminent domain right granted to electric utilities by state utility commissions.  Eminent domain is defined as the taking, or using, of private property for the public good and compensating the property owner with the fair value.  Many eminent domain actions have become contentious over the definitions of fair value and the public good, however it has been a viable way to solve what is otherwise an irresolvable situation.

One approach to accelerating wind power development in the U.S. would be to move the aesthetic challenges out of the courts and allow the right of eminent domain to be used for locating wind farms including a fair value on the “view” as subjective as that may be.  Our challenge is to rapidly develop alternative electric generating options, which benefit the public good, but are not held hostage by a few individuals.

Locating wind farms also includes routing the power transmission lines that go with them, and we  would propose that the right of eminent domain continue to be overseen by the state utility commissions where there is a great deal of historical experience balancing the competing views in eminent domain actions.  Recent eminent domain cases by local municipalities in specific wind farm developments have demonstrated at minimum the appearance of a conflict of interest amongst the local parties, which a state supervised process would avoid.

Welcome to the blog of MyEmissionsExhange.com!

WHAT’S MyEex?

The purpose of MyEmissionsExchange (or MyEex, for short) is to promote the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by individuals and families.   We’ve created a global market, in which members can earn credits for reducing their utility bills.  These credits can then be sold to other members for cash.  PLUS, you get the added bonus of knowing you’ve created a better environment AND you’ve saved money on your actual utility bill.

WHO CARES?

We’re not into checkbook environmentalism – that means we’re not into taking a check from you to plant a tree in Brazil to offset your microwave use.  We like the idea that you and your neighbors reduce, save some money, trade it and make money in your own living room.  We’re also not into the idea of "fighting," global warming – just encouraging each person to engage in activities that don’t strengthen it.  So far, its voluntary because there are no laws in the US governing personal CO2 use (yet).  It’s totally free, so give it a try!

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Check back frequently to find the newest products, news, do’s, don’t's, what’s hot (that’s a little global warming humor for ya!), what’s not & more!  Like what you see?  Follow us in a RSS feed or by signing up at MyEmissionsExchange.com.  We won’t spam you, but we WILL update you on the things you want to know about: new videos, and opportunities to MEASURE, REDUCE and EARN.

Happy Reductions,

The MyEex Team