Climate-Neutral Conference

Thanks to NRG Energy, the 5th National Conference will be Climate-Neutral. Restore America’s Estuaries is proud to partner with NRG Energy as we honor our commitment to offset 100 percent of the Conference’s carbon footprint. 

Restore America’s Estuaries’ National Conference has been climate neutral since 2006, when Entergy retired 1,500 metric tons of CO2 credits to offset emissions from Conference-related activities. In 2008, Reliant Energy provided the offsets for the 4^th National Conference.

Using accepted carbon calculators, Restore America’s Estuaries estimates Conference activities will emit approximately 1,400 metric tons of CO2. NRG Energy will retire 1,500 metric tons of Carbon Financial Instruments (CFIs) on the Chicago Climate Exchange. The CFIs are verified offsets from projects such as landfill or agricultural methane capture.

Climate change – through sea-level rise, changing precipitation patterns, and migrating native and invasive species – will significantly reshape our coastal landscapes. In many ways, our coasts and estuaries are both the first line of defense and the measuring stick for climate change impacts. Coasts and estuaries can also help reduce the impacts of climate change. The restoration of tidal wetlands and other coastal habitats offers significant potential for sequestering carbon through estuarine soils. Restore America’s Estuaries is leading a national effort to develop rigorous protocol for greenhouse gas offsets through tidal wetlands habitat restoration.

Founded in 1989, NRG is a wholesale power generation company, primarily engaged in the ownership and operation of power generation facilities and the sale of energy, capacity and related products in the United States and internationally.  NRG Texas is home to more than 11,000 megawatts of electric generation, powered by nuclear, wind, gas and coal. 

NRG is a member of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership - a group of business and environmental organizations calling for mandatory legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  It has also created econrg, an ongoing and extensive environmental business effort targeted at reducing NRG's environmental footprint and encouraging employee and financial support for the communities and environment around their plants. It represents NRG's commitment to environmentally responsible power generation. Through econrg, NRG seeks ways to meet the challenges of climate change, clean air and the protection of our natural resources. 

At the heart of NRG's conservation ethic is their “EcoCenter,” a multi-use facility at NRG's Cedar Bayou Station near Baytown, Texas. The EcoCenter provides infrastructure for conservation activities such as growing plants used for wetland and dune restoration. The center provides crucial components for restoration activities in and around Galveston Bay, and has served as the primary source of smooth cordgrass for Galveston Bay Foundation restoration activities for years.  NRG also provides staff help and technical assistance on most Galveston Bay Foundation restoration projects.

Restore America’s Estuaries is pleased to be working for a climate-neutral future for our coasts.