While the scientific evidence and visible signs of climate change are indeed compelling, it’s no longer about who or what is responsible for this phenomenon, it‘s about what we choose to do about it now. We determine our future, and that of generations to follow.
As Sir Jonathan Pryce's rousing words ring in our conscience..."We can win the biggest battles, in the smallest moments. Are you for the world, or against it? It's time to decide."
My name is Colby Self, I've spent the entirety of my career advocating for our world. But over the last 14 years working on environmental initiatives at the international level, I've grown tired of the perpetual regulatory delay while industry and governments negotiate our future. And while these policy instruments and top down approaches may bring about change in 2050, I founded Carbon Checkout to deliver change NOW. We empower the individual to take action that collectively scales from the bottom-up.
Carbon Checkout makes this possible with a carbon finance software solution that integrates into existing eCommerce stores, giving millions of individuals, like you and I, the convenient opportunity to balance the carbon footprint of our online transactions, in one-click, at checkout. We pool these micro-contributions into a fund, and invest in zero emission wind and solar energy infrastructure to offset the carbon impact of our everyday activities. These carbon offset investments reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, while accelerating our transition to a low carbon economy.
We’ve worked with thousands of eCommerce partners to date, with our software application currently plug-in compatible with over 20% of all eCommerce sites. As we scale, we’ll build compatibility across additional platforms to reach over half of the eCommerce market by 2023.
We hold unique domain expertise in environmental and carbon markets, and have worked closely with global non-governmental organizations, including the world’s largest conservation organization, on developing the next frontier of green financial solutions. We’ve also been on the cutting edge of eCommerce with our engineering team having honed their skills while working for the tech giants in Silicon Valley.
Our team has gained the confidence of many throughout our journey, from humble beginnings in California, to the Government of Chile and the Startup Chile network in Santiago, to the European Commission and the European Innovation Council in Brussels, to Decelera and the Government of Spain in Madrid, to The World Bank and Google for Startups at large.
Building on our depth of experience and expertise in environmental markets, we're not just a software company, we are an environmental consulting group with technical expertise and a proven track record of environmental achievement since 2007.
Leaders lead, let's do this together!
Colby is a serial social entrepreneur having founded four tech startups spanning three continents, from California to Chile to Spain. His experience centers on addressing environmental challenges by applying emerging technologies to new sectors, from renewable energy and carbon solutions, to eCommerce software applications, to big data and consumer product life-cycle analysis. In all instances, Colby has developed data-driven solutions that quantify problems and address them with measurable solutions.
Colby has also worked for over 14 years as a consultant, serving NGOs, UN bodies, government agencies and private industry in global efforts to advance environmental initiatives. He has been an advocate of environmental justice throughout his career, representing views of civil society at UN diplomatic conferences, working to extend the reach of international environmental law and to broaden the application of the Universal Declaration of Human Right to all peoples, in all places. His work in Brussels to advance environmental policy initiatives at the EU, has given him great insight into the European political process and the role progressive government plays in transforming industry. On the opposite end of the spectrum, his work in Washington to advance U.S. environmental policy initiatives and enforcement capabilities has shed light on the role of progressive industry to move ahead of government when the law fails to provide adequate protections.
These experiences have focused Colby’s entrepreneurial ventures on consumer advocacy, realizing that informed consumer choices can transform markets and improve environmental and social conditions with a speed unlike any multi-stakeholder process.
Colby has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Policy, Planning and Development from the University of Southern California. He was a visiting scholar at Oxford University and a select member of the Cambridge University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Cambridge-MIT Institute Enterprisers. Colby is also a member of former Vice President Al Gore's Climate Reality Leadership Corps.