In certain circumstances, it is impractical or not financially viable to reduce greenhouse gas emissions entirely to zero. To handle this circumstance, some entities purchase the carbon emission reduction from others. This transaction is called carbon offsets. One Carbon Credit equals one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent removed or kept from the atmosphere.  This is not the same as a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC).  Carbon Credits can be sold to monetize the UIUC successes in carbon footprint reductions, and the Carbon Credit Funds can be invested back into the iCAP efforts.  Carbon Credits can also be purchased to achieve the iCAP objectives.

As a campus, we have chosen to focus our sustainability efforts on systemic changes to our operations and infrastructure, rather than plan on purchasing carbon credits to offset our carbon footprint.  We recognize, however, that there are some carbon emissions that we cannot reasonably eliminate without impacting our higher education mission.  Therefore, the 2015 iCAP includes specific objectives related to Carbon Credits / Offsets.