Thread: Commentary: A fat tax is a healthy idea

I don't even know who the fuck you are to be honest.

That extra money doesn't go to the airline, as I've already explained. Being as you guys can't be fucked to do the research yourselves, I'll do it for you:

easyJet carbon offsetting

Our offset scheme achieves the highest quality standards.

1. Our offset calculations are based on actual emissions generated by actual flights
2. We only support UN approved Certified Emission Reduction schemes - each credit of carbon represents a true reduction in carbon
3. We are transparent - detailing how much goes to the project with no extortionate agency fees
4. Credits will be retired on behalf of the customers

How it works

• easyJet works out your share of the carbon emitted from your flight (see carbon calculator for more details)
• easyJet buys an equivalent share in a UN certified emission reduction project. There is no middle-man in easyJet's not-for-profit scheme

Where the money goes

easyJet buys from a range of UN Certified Emission Reduction projects (CERs). Why? They are the highest quality carbon credits available, where the UN Board of Approval verifies the emission saving from the project - so the carbon reduction is real. The projects range from bio-mass projects to wind farms, (see project example below) the common thread is the UN stamp of approval. We retire the credits, putting them beyond use.
How much money goes to the project?

easyJet makes no profit from this scheme and buys directly from the pool of UN credits available, that way we can make sure the maximum amount is funnelled to the project. A typical £1 spent on offsetting will be broken down as follows:-
Project 80p VAT 15p eJ admin 5p* *easyJet recoups the external auditing and set-up fees as part of our commitment that our offset scheme is not for profit and is cost neutral to the organisation. These fees are constantly monitored with a view to reducing them, as the scheme develops.
Carbon Calculator
Example UN-certified carbon offsetting project




Perlabi Hydro Electric

The Perlabi Hydroelectric renewable energy project is a small hydroelectric plant using water from the Chirizacha river in the Andes hillside in Ecuador, South America. It has expected emission reductions in the first 10 years of 74,000 tonnes. This project generates clean electricity, reducing reliance on fossil fuel power generation as well as creating benefits and job opportunities to the local community.

Next up in this topic...


"Awww the UN?! RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!!"

Originally Posted by cerel

Does it say anywhere they don't make up the difference in the shares they buy from air fares for people who don't tick the box?

No, because if they listed everything they don't do, they'd run out of server space.

Something they don't have to pay for is still profit, even if its not going directly to the bank.

Are you deliberately missing the point? Or just clutching at straws? Do you need a flow diagram? Will that help?

Seriously, what am I missing? And who the fuck are you?

Originally Posted by cerel

You're right, just have faith that they're selflessly looking out for you and the environment.

It's not faith, it's business sense. Green issues are so hot right now, if a company can advertise themselves as being green-aware, they're going to make more money. Otherwise they obviously wouldn't do it.

I was going to put this in the post but I didn't think you were this dense. Ok, say your share of the flight costs them $300 and your carbon footprint cleanup costs them $40, and they charge you $450, and you don't tick the box, then they make 450-300-40= $110. If you tick the box, then they make 450-300 = $150.

Okay, I'm sure that what you're saying can't be as ludicrous as it sounds. Surely not. They don't have to pay to clean up my carbon footprint, they are simply giving me the option to or not. My carbon footprint cleanup costs them nothing, because they don't have to clean up anything. The money I pay towards it does not go to them. I ask again, what exactly am I missing that makes this so hard to understand?!

distracted, I had a different login and display name when i signed up, and when the board software changed, they display name was dropped.

Aaaand the penny drops.

Illusions? Fighting? I'm not defending a corporation, 'ticking the little box' is effectively giving to charity by proxy.

Does that hurt your feelings so much that you have to pretend that you find it funny?

heeh just so you both know I have plans to chop down trees when i get home and ive knocked over more then 200 just to build roads for gas guzzling carbon reaking cars. and ive gotten paid to do it. but you know what i check the box cause its a tax write off. have a nice day.


btw i was thiinking about how would you regulate a fat tax, cause you could eat healthy all you want but if you dont workout you'd still be fat or gain weight it isnt so much what a person eats its what they do when they are done and how there body breaks things down etc. when thinking about how youd punish businesses for peoples life stlyes its kinda odd.. i mean are you going to start doing that for everything? example is a clothing store that sells large size sweaters or clothing are you going to start charging them taxes cause they incourage people to be large in size?

If the issue is out of our reach and giving money to a charity who dedicates themselves to righting the issue isn't concrete enough evidence that something is being done because we can't see the issue being fixed...than we do nothing?

Worst ethical standpoint ever. And you all haven't given an alternative except for maybe a delusional insinuation that you just shouldn't care or shouldn't create a carbon footprint.

This whole argument reminds me of something my dad told me when we were approached by a woman in a Wal-Mart parking lot and she handed him a notecard written in bad english something about being a refugee and having 4 children and needing money to buy groceries. He handed her 20$ and as we continued walking I expressed my irritation that he was probably had, and he said "I'd rather be wrong and give her the money than be wrong and not have given her the money, what else was I was going to do with the 20$?"

Also Gutter- You're an idiot. Your body can't break down foods into nutrients if the food doesn't fucking have any. And being fat isn't the only indicator of being unhealthy. You can live off fast food and be skinny and still be just as unhealthy.

P.S. I'd just like to point out how morally superior I am compared to all of you because I'm joining the Peace Corps but I'm not helping "real" people so I guess I'm just as bad as those people who donate to charities on a regular basis. I mean, since donating to charity suddenly became something to be looked down upon. I think i'm going to start a charity for those of you who are so unable to donate to charities and feel like we should feel sorry for you or something, or give you a cookie? I mean, what do you want? You can't donate charity because you're helping your family. Cool. Suddenly you're developing the same superiority complex that you blame people who have money to donate to charity have.

Oh right, sorry I won't add to the side-topic that you all created.

I really hate it when people act like they don't know where the fuck something came from when they've been contributing to it all along. It's kind of like...carbon footprints.

Originally Posted by Ghetto Onion

P.S. I'd just like to point out how morally superior I am compared to all of you because I'm joining the Peace Corps but I'm not helping "real" people so I guess I'm just as bad as those people who donate to charities on a regular basis. I mean, since donating to charity suddenly became something to be looked down upon. I think i'm going to start a charity for those of you who are so unable to donate to charities and feel like we should feel sorry for you or something, or give you a cookie? I mean, what do you want? You can't donate charity because you're helping your family. Cool. Suddenly you're developing the same superiority complex that you blame people who have money to donate to charity have.

Exactamundo.