1.  Why does CO2X ask consumers to "sponsor an acre" instead of "buy a carbon offset"?  For several reasons, really.  People need to realize that crops really do immediately remove CO2 from the atmosphere in a more controlled, consistent way than any forest or far-off carbon offset "project".  More important than "projects" are changes to our everyday way of doing things, like the way we grow our food.  They need to realize that the crop they're driving by is part of the solution, and that if every farmer around the globe utilized "best practices" it could make a huge impact on Global Warming.  People also need to realize that this is an ongoing battle against climate change, that they need to commit to at least an annual accounting of the CO2 they produce, and then do something about it.

2.  Why should I further "subsidize" a farmer?  Subsidization of farmers is misunderstood by the average consumer.  The reality is that every industrialized nation in the world subsidizes it's farmers in a kind of ongoing "subsidy war".  The result is that one country's subsidy cancels out another, and so on and so on.  Its silly - but its reality.  So farm subsidies are a red herring in this discussion.  The important issue is that farmers manage carbon, and like any business, they need to see an incentive to take risks to do things differently.  A farmer cannot participate in the CO2Xchange unless they are licensed and verified by our parent company as making bona fide progress with "best practices".

3.  Why would I want to set up a CO2X "account"?  A CO2X account allows you to accurately record, track, and mitigate the carbon dioxide you create in your everyday life.  Its a learning tool for those who are interested.  For the rest of you, we provide a list of National Average CO2 Emissions so you can estimate your carbon footprint.  Later, when you're really into it, feel free to set up your personal CO2X account. 

4.  Why do you use "carbon" in some places, and "CO2" in other places?  Carbon and CO2 are really interchangeable terms when talking about atmospheric change.  (CO2 is 3.67 times heavier than C because of the two attached Oxygen atoms.)  However, over the past decade common usage of the two terms when discussing Climate Change has led to terms like "carbon footprint" which are more recognizable than "CO2 footprint" although they mean virtually the same thing.  

5.  How long is CO2 stored by crops?  You can't just talk about sequestered carbon in relation to Climate Change, you must talk about the whole carbon cycle!  The Carbon Cycle is in constant flux, with CO2 being absorbed, fixed, stored as carbon - and eventually released all over again.  Photosynthesis absorbs CO2, splits off the O2 for animals (like us) to breathe, and incorporates the C into plant matter and soil carbon compounds.  The longer CO2 is stored as C, the more it can be said to be "sequestered".  But no CO2 is sequestered as carbon forever.  Forests die and burn down, oceans warm up, and geologic CO2 storage is vulnerable to earthquakes, etc.  Sequestration, therefore, is a relative term.  Farm crops are big photosynthesizers, as are rain forests.  But the great thing about crops is that virtually every square foot of arable land around the world is literally managed under a microscope these days.  Rain forests have a problem there.  Yes, some of the CO2 removed from the air by crops does slowly return to the environment, but ever higher levels of carbon management can help crops not only remove vast quantities of Co2 quickly as they do every growing season, but also increase the carbon storage period - thereby helping to reverse Global Warming.  That's why CO2X is all about fundamental agricultural change - if farmers manage carbon better, sequestration will take care of itself!