What Would Tetzel Sell?

Shrimp here. You remember Tetzel, don't you? "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul at once into Heaven springs."

Here's salvation 2007-style, courtesy the ELCA News Service:

ELCA Advocacy Offices Purchase Carbon Offset Credits
07-205-AL

WASHINGTON (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Washington Office, ELCA Corporate Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh, and Lutheran Office for World Community, New York, have purchased carbon offset credits to mitigate their carbon emissions accumulated through air travel.

"Our offices have been working to reduce our carbon footprints by turning off lights and power strips when we're not in our offices, for example. But short of turning off all electricity and ceasing to travel, it's very difficult to eliminate your carbon emissions entirely," said Mary Minette, ELCA director for environmental education and advocacy.

"Since the advocacy staff travels extensively, we've purchased offset credits to balance those carbon emissions. The credits will go toward renewable energy projects, thus reducing the overall amount of power generated by burning fossil fuels," said Minette.

The specific projects funded by the carbon offsets purchased by the advocacy offices will support the use of anaerobic digesters, machines that dramatically reduce the amount of methane that escapes into the atmosphere while simultaneously generating renewable energy for the dairy farms that run them. Methane, like carbon dioxide, is a major contributor to global warming.

To determine the amount of the offices' carbon emissions that needed to be offset, Minette surveyed the staff about their air travel. She used that information with a carbon emissions calculator on the Internet and then purchased the appropriate amount of credits needed to compensate for the travel.

Minette hopes this move by the advocacy office will start a trend in the ELCA. "Imagine the amount of carbon emissions we'd save if the entire churchwide organization, every synod office, and every congregation were to reduce their energy use and budget for the purchase of offset credits for the remaining energy consumption," she said.

"Our social statement, 'Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice,' commits us as individuals, as a worship community, and as a public church, to address the threat of global warming. I encourage all Lutherans to calculate their carbon footprints, reduce their energy consumption, and purchase carbon offset credits where appropriate," Minette said.

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Information about global warming is at http://www.ELCA.org/advocacy/environment/globalwarming.html on the ELCA Web site.

To borrow from Ms. Minette, imagine the amount of carbon emissions we'd save if the ELCA shut down its advocacy offices. Jet fuel, hot air.....

Shrimp out.