Person-to-Person Website Connects You to Mongolian Yurt Dwellers to End Climate Change

From an email I received from Seattle-based microfinance startup MicroEnergy Credits:

MicroEnergy Credits (MEC) just launched Yurtcozy a person-to-person website that allows you to offset your carbon footprint while helping out microfinance clients throughout the world. Energy poverty is a severe problem throughout the developing world, where billions of people have no access to clean energy and must use dirty, expensive fuels for cooking and lighting. Click here to help a microfinance client purchase a clean energy product like a solar panel or efficient cookstove!

Meet Tol Gormaa who lives in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, where winter temperatures can be as cold as -40 Celsius. Like 60% of the city population, Tol and her family, including 9 grandchildren, live in tents called gers, with wooden frames covered by layers of wool felt. On average, households located in the Ger Districts use 5 tons of coal and 1.5 tons of wood per year. The coal and wood burned by the Gormaas and families like theirs have caused a severe pollution problem that covers the entire city in black smoke through much of the winter.

Through XacBank, our microfinance partner in Mongolia, Tol was able to take a loan to purchase an insulated covering for her ger. By using the added insulation, Tol was able to cut her monthly fuel expenditure by 50%. This allows her to save more money and invest more in her family, and reduces the amount of harmful smoke her family is exposed to.

So how can you help? You can do your part to reduce your carbon footprint and slow climate change while at the same time making it possible for more microfinance clients like Tol Gormaa to access clean energy. By reducing the amount of emissions she produces, Tol’s efficient ger covering creates a carbon offset. Head to www.yurtcozy.org to purchase that carbon credit to offset the impact of your commute, your travel, or even the groceries you buy.

With your help, MEC is expanding access to clean energy alternatives to microfinance clients throughout the world. Purchase a carbon credit today. And purchase one for a loved one while you’re at it.