Marketers Now Have Access to Carbon Offset Tool
imc2 is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability through the launch of Clear Sky Digital Media, a free tool that allows marketers to calculate and then offset the carbon footprint of their online media campaigns.
Clear Sky Digital Media, available at www.imc2.com/carbon, converts a given online media buy into a kilowatt-hour measure of the energy necessary to support its delivery. This measure is translated into carbon emissions and then used to determine the cost of purchasing reliable offset credits.
Over the last year, imc2 partnered with Cody Taylor of ICF International and Jon Koomey at Stanford University to develop the tool.
Clear Sky Digital Media brings attention to the fact that even electronic media has an impact on the environment. Energy consumption tied to data centers doubled between 2001 and 2006 and could do so again by 2011, according to a recent study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This energy consumption already accounts for an estimated 2 percent of the world's carbon emissions, an impact equivalent to air travel.
Beth Bengtson, imc2's vice president of corporate social responsibility/positive impact, views Clear Sky Digital Media as an important first step in creating discussions and new services around sustainability. "Every industry is in the process of rethinking its role in shaping and participating in a more sustainable world. Through Clear Sky Digital Media, we are able to deliver a tangible service to marketers, while also introducing the sustainability conversation into the marketing industry."
Bengtson cautions that carbon offsets are not the Holy Grail for marketers, "We fully understand that the ultimate goal is for a company to reduce its carbon emissions rather than offset them, but in the near-term, helping marketers calculate the environmental impact of their online media campaigns is an important first step."