Project Types

If an institution would like to develop an offset project through the Offset Network, they must choose one of two pathways to follow. The first pathway is the traditional pathway, and starts with selecting an existing protocol from an existing carbon offset registry (eg CAR, VERRA, or ACR). The school follows the protocol methodology and eligibility requirements to develop the project. Once the project has been implemented, the school goes through the Offset Network to complete the peer-verification process. The project is first validated by a peer institution and then in subsequent years undergoes verification, which credits carbon offsets to the school that developed the project.

The second pathway is the innovative pathway. In the innovative pathway, a school can choose to follow a protocol that was created by a peer institution and underwent review to be accepted onto the Offset Network. The school also has the option of developing their own protocol, following the Protocol Review pathway. Once the protocol has been accepted and the project developed, the peer validation and verification processes are the same as the traditional pathway.

Find more information about the project pathways here.