Yesterday I wrote about our exploration of the carbon offsetting business by becoming carbon-neutral ourselves. Through our research we found this hysterical site that compares buying carbon offsets to forgiving philandering with “cheating credits.”

In a very Onion-esque satirical way, CheatNeutral allows you to offset your infidelity with your partner. From their site:

What is Cheat Offsetting?

When you cheat on your partner you add to the heartbreak, pain and jealousy in the atmosphere.

Cheatneutral offsets your cheating by funding someone else to be faithful and NOT cheat. This neutralizes the pain and unhappy emotion and leaves you with a clear conscience.

Can I offset all my cheating?

First you should look at ways of reducing your cheating. Once you’ve done this you can use Cheatneutral to offset the remaining, unavoidable cheating.

CheatNeutral has projects like, “Steve and Lisa.” After getting drunk, Steve cheated on Lisa. Then Steve bought a cheating offset in a single guy named Allen, who has no prospects of finding a partner. Then Steve presented Lisa with his cheating offset certificate and they got married. Steve, of course, still cheats, because the implication is that he can’t help himself, or he just doesn’t want to try to be good.

It’s a clever stab at the carbon offset concept in general. And it begs the question: Shouldn’t we be working to reduce carbon creation, versus just asking for companies to repent their sins with a little something in the collection basket?

We’re not going to fix the carbon thing overnight. Carbon offsetting is a stop-gap to at least begin to move us towards neutralizing the greenhouse gases we are creating. Hopefully technology and corporate missions will catch up and someday make carbon offsetting an unnecessary relic.

Plus, it is generating conversation, as is evidenced by sites like CheatNeutral.com. This is the kind of satirical banter that will help promote continued transparency in the carbon offset industry and to keep honest those companies that choose to participate. Sure beats ranting and raving.

Have you seen other similar approaches using humorous and entertaining communication to make its point? How effective do you think its?

Grab a coffee and take 12 minutes to watch Alex Randall’s and Christian Hunt’s CheatNeutral.com video. As the British say; “A brilliant bit of social media marketing that takes the Mickey out of carbon offsetting!”