When we mention Brazil, we're usually speaking about their aggressive ethanol (alcoól) policy or their availability of flex-fuel cars. But today we're speaking about a creative proposition: The Brazilian Câmara dos Deputados is discussing a bill which will make planting trees mandatory as a means of paying fees for certain legal proceedings. Which ones? Getting married, getting a divorce, buying a new car or trading estate.

For example, if you want to get married, you would have to pay to plant 10 trees (25 if you later need a divorce). When purchasing a car, you would need to plant 20 trees, 40 if it's a light-duty van or 60 if it's a heavy vehicle. When trading estate, 10 trees would be required to sell a house, 20 to sell a business.

The idea is that all these activities harm the environment and so we should give something back. The law aims to recover the rainforest and offset the country's carbon emissions. Conservative estimates from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics calculate that about 65 million trees would be planted per year under the proposed rules.

[Source: Globo]

Dealers for car companies have tried various carbon neutral offerings. A Land Rover shop in Oregon, for example, gave away carbon offsets for the first 50,000 miles of each new vehicle sold last year. But what did it take to make the new Volvo Trucks dealer in Verona, Italy totally carbon neutral? Solar cells on the roof.

Thanks to that eco-friendly update, the dealership produces more energy than it uses and the excess is fed back into the grid. Heat is generated from methane gas, but Volvo was clear that the solar panels above the building more than make up for this in carbon offset terms. The dealership was opened late last week, and Volvo is looking to make more of its dealerships carbon neutral. Not all will use the solar option, as local conditions will determine what renewable energy sources are used where.

[Source: Volvo]

How much carbon does the fleet of vehicles over at KickingTires spew? For starters, about 26 tons. That's at least what the Cars.com team has decided is the right amount of Terrapass carbon offsets to buy for the fleet, and senior editor Dave Thomas said that this initial purchase will be reviewed as the cars' emissions are more accurately rated in the coming months. He told AutoblogGreen that he expects he'll need to buy more to round out the year, but for now, at least, when Cars.com reviews a huge SUV, somewhere an angel gets its wings a tree is planted.

In a blog post announcing the passes, they write that this purchase isn't trying to get on anyone's good side (although I've gotta say I approve), but "the main reason for this program is to help the environment for future generations of drivers." Oh, and the challenge to other review outlets to do the same? Clever. We don't exclusively focus on reviews here, but we do our share. Just might have to consider this for our own green selves.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Another airline has decided to give passengers the option to offset your carbon emissions when purchasing plane tickets. The latest carbon offset entrant is clickair, a low-cost company based in Barcelona, Spain. The story is that, due to Barcelona's airport placement between two lagoons and a protected area, the airline's carbon offsets take place close to El Prat de Llobregat airport, in a reserve by the Llobregat river.

Prices start at very acceptable levels (€ 3) and with low expectations: clickair expects to plant 250 trees through this program which will cover at least a little bit of the effects of its fleet of ten Airbus A320s.

[Source: Clickair]

Earlier this year, TerraPass sold its 100,000th sticker. The momentum to offset a vehicle's carbon emissions continues, and you can now participate in the program even if you're not in your car

uShip is a shipping service, and can help you move a vehicle when you need to get it somewhere but don't have the time or money to move it yourself. uShip also offers more traditional shipping options (think pianos or moving furniture), and it's this side of the company that partnered up with TerraPass. uShip's trucks now sport the TerraPass sticker (if I'm reading things correctly) which makes using the service carbon neutral.

uShip's Adam Greenspan told AutoblogGreen that the TerraPass partnership "is an effort to reduce the environmental impact of shipping. uShip also makes the shipping industry more efficient by filling empty cargo space and back hauls." Nothing that other shippers aren't trying (see here or here), but every time someone makes a greener decision, I'm pretty sure an angel gets its wings.

[Source: Adam G. of uShip]

Bolivia is one of Latin America poorest countries and is looking for a way of improving its economy. Instead of dirty mining or cutting wood, a report written by Andrea Urioste states that Bolivia could sell oxygen. While this may sound like they'd need buyers who are also interested in oceanfront property in Kansas, what we're talking about here is selling the "protection and conservation" of its natural forests.

According to Ms. Urioste, Bolivia could be paid money to preserve forest environments. She proposes a scheme in which rich countries would pay money in exchange for the right to emit more carbon. It's like TerraPass for nations.

In a recent report by the World Bank, keeping 1 ha (2.47 acres) as forest rather than razing it could be worth something between $1,500 and $10,000. If you think it isn't such an important figure, bear in mind that the same report said that 1 ha of soy allows income of about $1,500, while 1 ha dedicated to cattle pays $500 pack and 1 ha of coca, from $250 to $400. I guess trees are the answer.

[Source: PNUMA via Agroinformación]

Photo by Diliff, Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5

We're quite familiar with the idea of music tours going green with acts such as Bonnie Raitt, Panic! At The Disco and Barenaked Ladies having been reported on here at AutoblogGreen. All of these tours were being coordinated with Reverb, which has "greened" 50 tours to date, and has another big name on the docket for this year: Dave Matthews Band. This is the second tour that DMB and Reverb have partnered on, using biodiesel for their buses and generators on their first. This year, though, they have added a new twist: carpooling. Fans of the band who want to carpool to shows will have the ability to arrange their rides online in advance of the concert.

Last year, the DMB tour was able to reduce or eliminate over 3,300,000 pounds of CO₂ through the use of biodiesel and carbon credits. Here's hoping that Reverb, DMB and their fans can do even better this year.

[Source: Reverb via Ecorazzi]

Photo: Stephane De Sakutin, AFP/Getty Images

In addition to making great music (OK Computer remains one of this blogger's favorite listens), Radiohead tries to make a difference from an ecological standpoint. The band is going to great lengths to reduce the carbon emissions associated with its concert tour. In addition to refusing to fly unless absolutely required and investing in equipment like solar-powered generators, the group carefully considers where they choose to perform. Specifically, if a city doesn't have a solid public transit infrastructure, it likely won't be a tour stop. As lead singer Thom Yorke points out, the largest CO₂ producers associated with Radiohead are its legions of fans and how they transport themselves to and from shows. If they can get them out of cars and onto more efficient transportation systems by choosing show locations that encourage this behavior, then it's a green "win." Radiohead can essentially sell out any venue it wants, so credit them for being picky. Choosing locations because the surrounding infrastructure passively encourages greener fan behavior is a lot more meaningful than just selecting the biggest venues and preaching environmentalism from the stage while thousands of cars clog the surrounding roads and parking lots. As you all know, talk is cheap. Yorke and Radiohead make their green impact through considered, thoughtful planning and by sweating the logistical details so their fans don't have to. Good for them.

[Source: AP via Forecast Earth, Photo: AFP/Getty Images]

In Robbinsville, New Jersey, the Professional Fire Fighters Local 3786 has see the light. Used to fighting fires around town, the fire fighters have gone green to help fight global warming. Compact florescent light bulbs and and other energy saving measures were implemented at the firehouse, but the big red firetruck got an upgrade as well. Two of the fire fighters' front line emergency response vehicles, one ambulance and one large fire truck, now sport TerraPass stickers signifying that the carbon emissions from the vehicles will be offset by clean energy investments. The cost of the two stickers were $558, much higher than what it costs for your standard commuter vehicle (usually $60-100 a year). The Local says they are the first public safety entity to join the TerraPass program, although other fire trucks have gone green - like the San Francisco biodiesel engines. One reason for choosing the TerraPass method over, say, testing out some new hybrid firetruck, is that the team's ability to respond to an emergency call is the same as before. As the video says, "We still do everything we always did, we just do it better and more efficiently." Criticize offsets all you want, at least this is a start.

Check out the firefighters' Go Green promotional video after the jump. Thanks to Ed for the tip!

The first hints that low-mpg cars were sinful in the eyes of the Catholic Church came last fall, when a spokesman for Pope Benedict XVI confirmed that the Pope would use an April 2008 address to the UN as a way to speak to the moral implications of living a greener life. Today, the Vatican has gone a bit further and told its followers that polluting the earth should be considered a "new" sin.

Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti, whom Reuters describes as "the Vatican's number two man in the sometimes murky area of sins and penance," said over the weekend that pollution ranks up there with human cloning and other genetic manipulation as barriers to heaven. There have got to be about ten thousand great editorial cartoons generated by his statement.

As we know, the Vatican became the first country to fully offset CO₂ emissions last summer by installing photovoltaic cells and buying carbon offset credits. If I had centuries' worth of booty stored in my basement, I could probably afford all those PVs as well.

[Source: Reuters / Yahoo]

Delivery services like DHL are very efficient operations that get your package from point A to point B at the lowest possible cost, but the company's mega-fleet spews CO₂ by the truckload. In the Asia Pacific region, DHL has started Gogreen Express to give environmentally conscious shippers the ability to choose carbon-neutral package delivery. Using Gogreen Express is as simple as paying an additional three percent fee on top of the cost of the overall bill. DHL then invests the money into green projects like vehicle technology, solar panels and reforestation. It's definitely not electric-powered delivery vehicles, but at least it's a start. There is no word at this time whether the option will be offered here in the U.S.

[Source: Times of India]

California bill SB 1374, if passed and signed into a law, would allow any car to join the HOV sticker program as long as that vehicle is carbon neutral. This would mean someone driving alone in a Hummer could legally be allowed into the HOV lane, if the Hummer's emissions were offset. Senator Jim Battin officially proposed the legislation but his press release - which includes lines like "every owner of a polluting, flashy, fuel sucking car" - makes me think he is not serious. The law is starting to grow on me anyway. Why shouldn't a carbon neutral car - even a Hummer - be allowed in the HOV lane?

[Source: LAist]

Let's set this story up by placing the players on a map. First, Kia, which is a South Korean automobile company. Secong, Mali, which is a country in Africa. Third, Kia Netherlands, which sells the Korean cars in Holland.

Now that we're clear on who's where, here's the story: According to AfricaNews, Kia Netherlands is offering new car buyers a chance to purchase carbon offsets by funding biodiesel production in Mali. New Kia buyers in the Netherlands can calculate their annual CO₂ emissions and donate money (between 15 and 65 Euros) to a Dutch charity, Trees for Travel, which will then plant, among other things, jatropha plants in Mali. The oil from the jatropha seeds is then processed into biodiesel and distributed locally. It may take a global network to organize this scheme, but on the face of it, it makes a lot of sense.

[Source: AfricaNews]

It's a minor change, but over at TerraPass, the carbon-offset-powers-that-be have added a comparison bar to the online emissions calculator. Now, when you input information to figure out how much your indulgence TerraPass CO₂ offset sticker will cost you, you'll also see a yellow bar that compares your annual emissions with the average U.S. car. The blog entry that announces this addition also asks us for our input on the change. I like it, but would be very interested in seeing a bar that represents the average TerraPass customer's vehicles. Are the users driving eco-cars or not? Your thoughts?

Related:

• CO₂ offset milestone: 100,000 TerraPasses sold
• Survey of TerraPass members finds they're not buying away their guilt

[Source: TerraBlog]

We've covered some of the green car items that'll be on TV this afternoon, including an ad for the Yukon Hybrid, but what about the people who actually go to the game? What sort of cleaner driving angle can they add to their day? A couple, but I'm not convinced anyone will ever be able to call the Super Bowl an eco-friendly event.

Still, there are a few green spots to the big game. Fox Business reports that this year's Super Bowl, like last year's, will use renewable energy certificates to indirectly offset carbon emissions. Also, at least one "high-profile Super Bowl party" will be a "100% environmentally sustainable event this year." According to FB, that means that, "The green celebration will be a 'zero net waste event,' meaning that everything from the cups to the tablecloths – even human waste – will be processed and reused in some way."

From Auto Spectator, we learn that the first E85 station opened up this past week in Phoenix, where the game will be played. The pump is operated by Western States Petroleum, which also provides a lot of biodiesel to Arizona.

The Fox Business story ends with a fitting look at the football players, who aren't exactly known for their green work. As Brendan Sexton of the environmental consulting firm Sexton Company says that the players need to change vehicles. Kind of.

"Maybe we'll get them into some hybrid SUVs. That would be a step in the right direction," he told FB.

All right, kick off is in just a few minutes...

Related:

• Yukon Hybrid Super Bowl ad includes imagery from 1976 animated short
• Malibu, Vue hybrid Superbowl ads might not air because of low inventory
• Videos: Referees against SUVs in Brussels
• Making FA Cup 2007/08 soccer season carbon neutral
• It's the Colts, the Bears and Segways in Super Bowl action this weekend (2007 post)
• Football fans also getting hit by ethanol blitz (2007 post)

[Source: Fox Business, Auto Spectator]