Cool Effect is a
crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
platform that provides individuals the opportunity to support carbon emissions reductions by funding carbon-reducing projects around the world. Cool Effect is a registered
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
headquartered in
Greenbrae, California.
Projects
The platform has compiled a portfolio of projects that support
carbon emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and larg ...
reductions, referred to as the “Coollection”, which is available on its website for individuals to fund. One-time donations or monthly subscription models are available, and individuals also can choose to donate to specific projects.
As of 2020, Cool Effect financed projects in the following three categories:
* Methane capturing and
biogas digester
Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. It is a re ...
s
* Efficient
cookstoves
* Protecting
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
s
Global Offset Research is a subsidiary company of Cool Effect that includes a team of scientists and financial analysts who are responsible for vetting the carbon-reducing projects. The verification process includes a financial analysis that assesses the initial and long-term feasibility of the project, as well as the amount of funds that reach the project beneficiary, and a guarantee of “Absolute Additionality”, as the scientists perform their own verification, in addition to existing industry standard verification.
Cool Effect additionally provides the ability to download all of the documentation that their team of scientists have compiled prior to contributing, allowing individuals to obtain detailed information about the project and the findings from the vetting process.
Partnerships
Cool Effect has created partnerships with GreenFaith,
Natural Resources Defense Council,
Presidio Graduate School, Redford Center,
Wildlife Conservation Society,
Salesforce.com, and
Yale School of Public Health
The Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) was founded in 1915 by Charles-Edward Amory Winslow and is one of the oldest public health masters programs in the United States. It is consistently rated among the best schools of public health in the cou ...
. In addition to these organizations, it also works closely with actress
Alysia Reiner
Alysia Reiner is an American actress. She is best known for playing Natalie "Fig" Figueroa in the Netflix comedy drama series '' Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as part of the ...
.
See also
Carbon offset
References
{{Reflist
Environmental organizations based in California
Environmental organizations established in 2016