San Francisco Carbon Fund Announced

San Francisco has become the first U.S. city to create "in-city carbon offsets to meet local carbon reduction goals. Rather than funding replanting tree farms in other hemispheres or investing in alternative power systems on the other side of the planet" the San Francisco Carbon Fund will fund local projects within the city. The project is expected to "support energy efficiency projects and solar panel installations for low-income housing, as well as biodiesel conversion programs that support the conversion of waste into fuel" through nonprofit organizations such as The San Francisco Biofuels Cooperative, GRID Alternatives, and Ecology Action.

"The San Francisco Carbon Fund will begin as a pilot program to offset emissions from municipal air travel, and will be expanded to San Francisco residents, businesses and visitors once the program infrastructure has been established. The fund will also provide City government, residents and businesses information regarding the true costs of carbon intensive activities."

Read the full stories in the San Francisco Chronicle and the California Chronicle.