April is Earth Month, where people around the globe celebrating Earth Day on April 22. Have fun while making a positive impact by joining up with others in the community at an Earth Day event in your area.
Visit our Offset Options partner budgetplaces.com during their Green Week on Facebook in April for green travel tips and a chance to win great travel prizes!
EXCLUSIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH FACEBOOK
In March, Offset Options investor Seedcamp announced a groundbreaking new relationship with Facebook. Facebook will be providing product, technical and design resources to Seedcamp companies to "build deeply social products." Offset Options is looking forward to leveraging this privilege to aid its clients in advancing their message and increasing their exposure through Facebook. For more information on the partnership, visit
developers.facebook.com/blog/post/483
SEEDCAMP USA TOUR AND LUKE’S NEW BLOG
Google and Facebook and Twitter, oh my! As a Seedcamp 2010 Winner, Offset Options went on the trip of a lifetime, spending three weeks in the US with the Seedcamp staff and fellow winners, meeting legendary entrepreneurs, investors and innovators. The trip included a Mark Zuckerberg sighting at the Facebook offices, senior-level access to the bigwigs at some of the world’s most successful tech start-ups and time at SXSW in Austin. Says Seedcamp Associate Phillip Moehring, "The guys at Offset Options did a great job on the tour. Their product definitely got the mentors and investors talking. We at Seedcamp look forward to supporting them as they build upon their early success." Read all about the trip on the Offset Options blog at blog.offsetoptions.com
Yes, that’s right! We’ve started a blog. Check out Luke’s chronicles of life as the CEO of a fast-moving start-up. He’ll be posting pictures, stories and other good content so check it out at blog.offsetoptions.com
OFFSET OPTIONS LONDON OUTPOST ESTABLISHED
Our Marketing Director, Wren Aigaki-Lander, has headed over to London and will be representing us in the UK. She can be reached on +44 787 951 3337 or wren.aigakilander@offsetoptions.com.
We look forward to sharing a pint with you at the pub!
Kenyan Carbon Project Earns First-Ever VCS (deforestation and forest degradation) REDD Credits http://bit.ly/eI4LsJ
Offset Options has launched with budgetplaces.com, the number one booking site for budget accommodations worldwide. Our carbon offset infrastructure allows budgetplaces.com travelers to offset their accommodation and share their action via social media, providing unprecedented choice and brand communications tools in one simple on-line solution for the company’s 24 hotel booking websites. In the first month after launch, users in over 20 countries in Europe, Asia, and Oceania offset stays in 50 cities globally. Check them out next time you’re traveling at budgetplaces.com.
And, for green travel tips and more, visit budgetplaces.com on Facebook page at www.facebook.com/budgetplaces.
Vote for Offset Options in the Best Cleantech/Environmental Tech Startup category of The Europas, TechCrunch Europe’s 2010 Awards. The awards ceremony will be held in London on November 19 – so please vote for us now to ensure we’re on the podium! TechCrunch #TheEuropas
OFFSET OPTIONS GIVES GLOBAL-ECO-FORUM ATTENDEES ABILITY TO CALCULATE, OFFSET TRAVEL TO EVENT (28-29 OCTOBER 2010, BARCELONA)
Offset Options is working with premier sustainability conference Global Eco-Forum to give its attendees a way to take responsibility for the carbon footprints of their travel to the event. We have set up a special web page giving attendees the ability to easily calculate the footprint of their travel and hotel stays, and to select and purchase an offset for these emissions. The attendee option is part of the event’s commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality. Global Eco-Forum is a premier event bringing together leaders in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and eco-innovation – check out the website for more information and registration.
For more information on Offset Options solutions for carbon neutral events, including attendee travel programs, contact Luke Miller at +34 634 801 681 or luke.miller@offsetoptions.com.
10:10:10 RECORDS THE LARGEST DAY OF POSITIVE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE EVER!
The 10:10 climate action campaign, together with 350.org and other groups around the world, rallied thousands to participate in 7300+ events in 188 countries for the "Global Work Party" for positive action on climate change. We were pleased to participate in activities in Barcelona and encourage our friends and partners to join us in continuing to reduce emissions at home and at work. For more information on what you can do, visit www.1010global.org and www.350.org.
OFFSET OPTIONS NOW A PART OF THE PRESTIGIOUS SEEDCAMP COMMUNITY
From a pool of over 600 applications, we were selected as one of 23 finalists to participate in the Seedcamp week, a renowned investor event for Europe’s top young tech entrepreneurs. Offset Options is the organization’s first sustainability-focused finalist. During the week, we had mentoring sessions with leaders from companies including Google, IDEO, MTV Networks, IBM, Atlas Ventures, Early Bird, and others.
"We’re excited to help Offset options move forward as one of the 23 great companies we selected to participate in Seedcamp Week 2010", states Seedcamp Associate Philipp Moehring. The Seedcamp event was covered by major media outlets including TechCrunch and Financial Times.
As a result of Seedcamp, Offset Options will be spending more time in London. Let us know if you’re based there - we’d love to take you to coffee (or a pint).
OFFSET OPTIONS FAN OFFSET PROGRAMME IN THE NEWS AS U2 TOUR ARRIVES IN SPAIN
The Live Nation U2 360 Tour arrived in Spain in September, with shows in Sevilla and Sant Sebastian. Spanish media covering Offset Options’ fan travel programme included La Vanguardia, Diario Vasco and Diario de Sevilla.
On the success of the U2 fan offset offering, we’ll be providing more solutions for carbon neutral events and attendee travel. Contact us for more information on how to go carbon neutral and get your attendees on board too.
OFFSET OPTIONS CELEBRATES 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY AND A NEW OFFICE IN BERLIN
We celebrated our first birthday over the summer. As we look back at an exciting year of challenges and successes, we want to thank all of you for your support, encouragement, connections, feedback, and willingness to share a beer or two along the way.
And speaking of sharing a beer, we’re now open in Berlin and look forward to getting together with our German friends. Our Co-Founder Olaf Petzschmann has opened an Offset Options post in his native Germany and will be supporting clients in this region. We’ll be rolling out German-language materials and services soon. Drop him a line olaf.petzschmann@offsetoptions.com if you’re in Germany and would like to connect.
PLAN YOUR CARBON NEUTRAL EVENT WITH OFFSET OPTIONS AND EVENTUO
Offset Options is working with event planning website eventuo.com to give the site’s users (event planners from amateurs to professionals) the option to make their events carbon neutral. Users will be able to calculate their event’s carbon footprint using an Offset Options-developed calculator and select from Offset Options’ broad range of carbon offset suppliers and projects. They’ll receive the Offset Options carbon neutral seal to communicate their action to event attendees and others.
Carbon neutrality through eventuo will be available starting in mid-July at eventuo.com. For more information on Offset Options’ solutions for carbon neutral events, please contact Luke Miller at luke.miller@offsetoptions.com or +34 634 801 681
The carbon market’s biggest industry event was held in May in Cologne, Germany. Offset Options CEO Luke Miller was in attendance, meeting with a range of carbon market stakeholders. Since last year’s Carbon Expo in Barcelona, highlights for the market include Copenhagen and market consolidation. Copenhagen has led to increased uncertainty for some players in the carbon markets as the longer-term direction of the regulated markets is still unclear. However, as the carbon markets become a fundamental part of future frameworks, the big global financial institutions from Europe and North America are moving into this space via acquisitions. For more about this, see the carbon news section below.
We’re now on Twitter! Follow us at OffsetOptions. And, we’ll be increasing our coverage of important CSR and carbon news in our newsletter – please use the link at the bottom to forward to friends and colleagues who are interested in knowing more about the sector.
Offset Options participated in Seedcamp’s March Mini Seedcamp in Barcelona, and is proud to announce its selection as one of the top teams by popular vote. Seedcamp works to support Europe’s entrepreneurial community by providing access to funding and exposing startups to the collective experience of people who can help inspire Europe’s next generation of technology entrepreneurs. With such impressive ideas and people involved, Offset Options was honored to be recognized.
CARBON NEUTRAL TRAVEL: OFFSET OPTIONS AT ITB BERLIN, WORLD’S BIGGEST TRAVEL & TOURISM FAIR
Offset Options brought its carbon offset marketplace technology for offering carbon neutral flights, hotel stays, car rentals, conferences, and more to leaders in travel and tourism, to the industry’s annual ITB convention in Berlin, Germany. As a participant in the conference’s Corporate Social Responsibility Day, Offset Options was encouraged to see the industry’s increasing focus on reducing environmental impact, including addressing carbon emissions. This shift has been due in part to increasing consumer and media awareness, benefits for action including cost reductions and increased brand awareness, and concern for the environments served by the industry. This interest was reinforced by the many visitors to Offset Options booth - where travel aggregators, hotel chains, airlines, cruise lines, and tour operators learned more about Offset Options’ unique technology for integrating carbon offsets into ticketing processes - a new combination of high-quality, choice, and seamless integration.
For more information on Offset Options’ solutions for travel and tourism, please contact Luke Miller at luke.miller@offsetoptions.com or +34 634 801 681.
DOING GOOD AND DOING WELL: OFFSET PARTNER AND PANELIST AT NET IMPACT DOING GOOD DOING WELL CONFERENCE
Offset Options participated in Net Impact’s European Flagship event, the Doing Good Doing Well Conference, as a panelist in the Social Entrepreneurship Workshop. Offset Options was honored to share the stage with distinguished social entrepreneurs representing Nuru Design, ACAF, and Dialogue Social Enterprise. In addition, Offset Options served as the official carbon offset partner for the event, assessing and offsetting carbon emissions of the event’s energy use and speaker travel, and offering DGDW attendees to offset their own travel using Offset Options’ technology solutions for events.
For more information on making your event carbon neutral, please contact Luke Miller at luke.miller@offsetoptions.com or +34 634 801 681.
OFFSET OPTIONS IS GROWING: NEW STAFF AND NEW SATELLITE OFFICE AT ESADE’S CREAPOLIS
Offset Options is pleased to welcome Eugenia Pecoraro to the team. Eugenia is serving as Operations and Office Manager, and will serve clients in Italian, Spanish, Catalan, and English. Offset Options has opened a new satellite office in ESADE’s prestigious new Sant Cugat-based innovation center, Creapolis. 
Stop by and see us!
OFFSET OPTIONS CUSTOMIZED CARBON NEUTRAL SOLUTIONS: FAN OFFSETS FOR THE LIVE NATION U2 360 WORLD TOUR
U2 360 Tour – U2 fans attending the Live Nation U2 360 World Tour can now make their travel to the show carbon neutral through an Offset Options–developed website (u2-360.offsetoptions.com).
As part of its commitment to managing its carbon emissions, the Live Nation U2 360 Tour is encouraging fans to use less CO2–intensive travel options for getting to the show and through u2-360.offsetoptions.com, has provided a way for them to easily and quickly neutralize their travel emissions by supporting a range of carbon offset projects, all meeting rigorous quality standards. The site allows fans to choose among projects from Social Carbon Company, NativeEnergy, South Pole Carbon, and Climate Friendly. Offset Options helps organisations – including rock bands – all over the world incorporate carbon offsets into their products and services and work with their consumer bases to take action on climate change.
OFFSET OPTIONS CARBON NEUTRAL EVENTS: PARTNERSHIPS WITH NET IMPACT/IESE, ESADE INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION, AND ASIA EUROPE FOUNDATION
Offset Options is excited to announce its role in helping these prestigious organizations offer carbon neutral events by assessing and offsetting carbon emissions related to attendee travel, and accommodations, hospitality, and venue energy use.
- IESE Net Impact Doing Good Doing Well Conference (February 26–27, 2010) – Offset Options has offset the emissions of Net Impact’s European flagship event, hosting business students from top schools and experts in sustainable business. Attendees may also offset their own footprints here dgdw.offsetoptions.com. Click here to register.
- ESADE Institute for Social Innovation – Offset Options teamed with ESADE’s prestigious CSR think–tank to offset its annual conference events in Madrid and Barcelona, and its 2009 Socially Responsible Investment Observatory. Look for more carbon neutral ISI events in 2010!
- ASEFUAN – Offset Options was guest speaker and offset provider for the Asia Europe Foundation’s ASEFUAN Dialogue on Climate Change, a cross–continental dialogue featuring luminaries including Rajendra Pachauri, President, United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient 2007. www.asefuandialogues.org
OFFSET OPTIONS GOES TO COPENHAGEN
Offset Options was an observer at the United Nations Climate Change Conference and invited guest in surrounding activities, meeting visionary business, non–profit, and governmental leaders working to achieve a resolution. We left the conference feeling more convinced than ever that Offset Options can play a key role in helping companies and their customers in the battle against climate change.
OFFSET OPTIONS IN THE NEWS: EXPANSION AND TREEHUGGER
Offset Options was recently profiled in the prominent Spanish business newspaper Expansion. Check out the article.
The Offset Options Live Nation U2 360 Tour Fan offset application was recently profiled on Treehugger.com – rated by Time Magazine as the 4th most important global blog in its inaugural list.
