Conservation

Invest in the Environment with Conservation Credits

Published 4/22/2021 12:48:34 PM

With help from the Great Outdoors Foundation, you can now invest in the environment and feel good about your choices with Conservation Credits. Developed following carbon offset program standards, these credits are meant to aid in neutralizing everyday practices like driving, shopping and water usage. This program allows you to purchase Conservation Credits that are reinvested in local spaces, focusing on carbon offset, water quality, and pollinator habitats. 

Start Investing Today! 

HOW IT WORKS

  • Consider Your Footprint | Our habits, practices and lifestyles are all different — and so are our carbon footprints! Whether you’re a frequent flier, everyday commuter or average family, there is a Conservation Credit investment level for you.
  • Select Your Preferred Option | Decide whether you want to invest on a monthly, annual, or one-time basis.
  • Match with a Project | Select the program you want to support. When you purchase Conservation Credits from the Great Outdoors Foundation, you can contribute with confidence, knowing that your dollars will be impacting local projects.
  • Visit and Enjoy | Conservation Credits are reinvested right here in Central Iowa. Visit one of the three current projects and see your investments grow — sometimes quite literally!

BEFORE THERE WERE CONSERVATION CREDITS, THERE WERE CARBON OFFSETS 

Decades ago, carbon offset programs began popping up across the country and world as a way to counteract the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

The principle was simple: for every carbon-emitting practice, an organization or individual would reinvest funds that would be allocated by a third party to carbon-reducing practices — primarily planting trees. With climate change on the rise, it’s becoming more and more vital that we mitigate our carbon footprint and intentionally reinvest in the environment.

As leaders in the conservation space, we at the Great Outdoors Foundation realized that there was a need locally to provide such a service. Our supporters are proactive and conscientious in nature, and they prioritize sustainable conservation practices in their daily lives.

While traditional carbon offset programs are effective and necessary, they are often complex in their pricing structure, reporting method and implementation process, and they’re almost never local for participants.

Our goal in developing the Conservation Credit program is to provide a direct to consumer method that makes altering your carbon footprint possible when altering your behavior is not.

When you purchase Conservation Credits from the Great Outdoors Foundation, you can invest with confidence. We’ve developed the program with you — the everyday Iowan — in mind. 

  • It’s simple: we’ve done all of the calculating for you.
  • It’s verified: we partner with trustworthy names in the conservation world.
  • It’s local: all of your dollars are reinvested, right here in the community.

Our three-pronged approach takes carbon offset standards and applies them across other conservation avenues, including water quality and pollinator habitats. Whichever project you decide to allocate your credits to, you can rest easy knowing that you’re improving the environment and counteracting your everyday habits.

With Conservation Credits from the Great Outdoors Foundation, you can leave an impact, not your footprint.

Hannah Inman
CEO, Great Outdoors Foundation

Reinvest in Local Spaces

All Conservation Credits are used to improve environments in Central Iowa, targeting projects that focus on carbon offset, water quality and pollinators. Learn more.

Protect Vital Resources

Conservation Credits from the Great Outdoors Foundation are used to holistically offset your carbon footprint — including improving water quality and safeguarding pollinator habitats.

Support Stable Ecosystems

From oxbow and wetland restoration to prairie grass and flower propagation, Conservation Credits from the Great Outdoors Foundation are invested in projects that support our local ecosystems. Learn more.