Of crappy carbon footprints & carbon offsets

This is for 2010, both flown and upcoming. In the next two months, I'll be on three continents, and fly 42049 miles. Ugh.

Yes, we do carbon offsetting: through donations to nonprofits we select, since we don't really trust the big corporate carbon offset programs. For example, Delta, the airline I fly most, has partnered with some random organization called The Conservation Fund for its carbon offset program. Now, I know about a lot of environmental groups, but had never heard of TCF. So I went to their website, and found out more about TCF, who proudly states that they have "no environmental agenda":

How does an organization with no membership, no environmental agenda and no charitable endowment consistently get good conservation done?

Partnership.

At The Conservation Fund, we help our partners—government, community and business—fulfill their conservation goals. We provide real estate skills, infrastructure planning, bridge financing, community development and other tools to achieve these goals.

Ummm, yeah: I actually want my carbon offset to go to a group that DOES have an environmental agenda. So we gave ours last tax year to the Fund for Wild Nature. They have a mission I can get behind:

The Fund for Wild Nature provides small grants to small groups who get things done. Our Board of Directors is comprised of lifelong environmental activists who know which steps are needed to protect and restore our planet, and which strategies and tactics will work.

...

The Fund for Wild Nature invests in cutting-edge grassroots organizations and innovative conservation efforts that meet emerging needs for protecting biodiversity and wilderness.