Video: More businesses offering green incentives

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SEATTLE - A growing number of companies offer incentives that promise to offset the environmental impact caused by events we attend or things we purchase.

How do you know if the programs are for you? And if they're for real?

Music lover Marcus Yelton loves concerts. He's also determined to lead a green lifestyle. But sometimes his two passions aren't exactly in harmony.

"When bands tour, riding in large buses or flying long flights across the country, they clearly create some damage," he said.

So he was thrilled to find out his ticket agent offered clients a way to neutralize some of the pollution.

"With In Ticketing, they made a decision to plant one tree with every ticket that was sold online, and then they also offer the ability to purchase carbon offsets," Yelton said.

A growing number of companies now sell some type of green incentive. Environmentalists say it's a step in the right direction.

"Airline flights, hotels that they stay in, grocery shopping, just about anything you can name you can buy offsets for," said Julia Bovey, of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The companies partner with offset providers who take your money and plant trees or invest it in clean energy projects.

"We fund wind farms, we fund farm methane capture projects, which basically help to collect methane from animal waste," Bovey said.

The cost varies. The providers use formulas to calculate how much carbon dioxide pollution your purchase will cause. For example, you'll pay anywhere from $1 to around $17 for a domestic flight. Marcus' tickets?

"It's a nominal amount, $2.95 per ticket, which offsets approximately 696 pounds of carbon dioxide," he said.

So many people have opted for the incentives, the ticketing company says it's offset nearly 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide in a little over a year. That's the equivalent of taking more than 400 cars off the road annually or recycling more than 12 million aluminum cans.

"It doesn't take a lot of time or energy on the consumer's part," said Marcus Yelton who leads a green lifestyle.

How can you know your money is actually helping the planet? The Federal Trade Commission says there are no federal regulations for offsets, but environmental advocates say there are things to look for.

"There are several organizations that have gone out and tried to certify offset companies so one thing you can look at is whether your companies has been certified," said Bovey.

The FTC is reviewing carbon offsets and deciding whether to include information about them in their green guides.

The FTC encourages consumers to check out offset providers before handing over cash.