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Design+ Designing CO offsets w/personal identity
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credits as part of the cap-and-trade program, which responsibility. Thus, to achieve the requisite goal against
contributed to a significant reduction in acid rain at one climate change, a strategy combining both macro and
point. However, these programs have, for some, devolved micro solutions is essential. The proposed club will also
into what is perceived as a superficial effort rather than a closely examine the dynamics of carbon credits and green
genuine solution. To many, carbon credits now represent a certificates, understand the motivations, psychological
“pay-to-pollute” mechanism and are insufficient on their drivers, and any ethical dilemmas involved.
own to address the climate crisis. This paper proposes Demand for carbon credits is driven by three key
nudging the new fossil fuel car buyers into joining an factors: compliance requirements, moral self-licensing,
environmental club upon purchasing a new vehicle. The or reputational gain. First, companies purchase carbon
aim is to foster awareness and to promote a higher quality credits to comply with greenhouse gas regulations.
of life through collective action linked with their purchase.
Compliance can also be driven by an organization’s need
2. The philosophical foundation of the club for redemption, motivated by underlying environmental
concerns. The original intent of the cap-and-trade program
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The club will build upon the concept of pay-to-pollute was to incentivize innovation and investment in cleaner
by introducing green certificates for the purchase of new technologies. In many ways, this concept ties into the theory
automobiles. This concept was introduced by Lai et al. of moral licensing, where organizations view purchasing
in 2023 in the article “Walk and Chew Gum: A demand carbon credits as atonement for their environmental
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and supply illustration of macro and micro net-zero impacts. However, acquiring a moral license should
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initiatives for the automobile industry.” It proposes an exceed mere self-satisfaction. The proposed club seeks to
individualized, decentralized approach (rather than a transform inspirations into aspirations, creating a sense
government regulatory approach) to carbon credit trading of belonging for its members and cultivating a forward-
without relying on specific cap-and-trade programs. Green looking, action-oriented ecosystem for the future. Finally,
certificates represent a carbon capture-based solution, reputational gain is significant for both corporations and
objectively calculated based on a new car’s projected individuals. The proposed club addresses how individual
lifetime carbon emissions. These emissions are then reputational gain can be enhanced by purchasing carbon
translated into the number of acres of trees needed to credits linked to new car purchases. Designing a symbol
absorb the vehicle’s total carbon emissions over its lifespan. to represent this mission is crucial for uniting members in
Essentially, this approach replicates the effect of a Pigouvian this cause.
tax on pollution without requiring any intervention from
a central government authority or an organized carbon- 2.1. A grassroots “think big-do big” initiative for
credit trading platform. In addition, open market carbon- enhancing the quality of life
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credit prices in various regions worldwide are unreliable. The concern over hypocritical corporate practices is well-
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The proposed club aims to create a platform for authentic founded. Historical developments of sustainability from
information and discussions about forest fires, alongside corporate social responsibility to more recent controversion,
educational and recreational activities such as forest field ESG movements had shown that society cannot entirely
trips and ocean study cruises. Substantive discussions rely on corporate reforms to solve climate change
will be conducted via appropriate social media platforms, problems. While corporate activism is still important, as
combining education and entertainment.
described by Henderson, with deep-rooted histrorical
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Broadly, carbon credits function as macro measures skeptocism noted on the role of corporations in a society,
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that are often used as international agreements for deciding numerous studies can be cited from the positive, negative,
a country’s climate change responsibilities. However, they and internal inconsistencies of corporate intentions.
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can risk being superficial tools of carbon offsetting through Yet, without overlat stressing the rights and/or wrongs of
redemption, without necessarily achieving the intended corporations, we wish to get at the heart of our problem
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behavioral change. In contrast, micro measures such as in this paper (how to build a personal identity for a product
green certificates tend to have a longer-lasting impact on that will have an impact on a narrowly focused industry).
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human psychology because they engage individuals on a For that, we believed a grassroots movement starting with
personal level, thereby fostering stronger environmental individuals is important. The club proposed in this paper
consciously rejects performative disingenuousness by
1 See the method of calculating the price of green certificate, arguing that combating climate change requires a lifestyle
the foundation in marketing literature, and behavioral and change at the individual level. It will be built on authentic
psychological theories-led marketing blurb suggestions in personal commitment, prioritizing genuine environmental
Lorne and Purmehdi, 2025. pledges over performative pledges.

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 2 doi: 10.36922/DP025100013