Associated PressFor those of us who delve simultaneously into the world of green and the world of politics, finding reasons to heap praise on politicians (let alone their policy positions) is an unusual occurrence. We ridicule them for their voting records, we deride the "environmentalists" among them who own fleets of Hummers, and we groan in agony at their latest attempts at green legislation.

But occasionally, one of our friends in Washington gives us genuine cause for celebration. Last week, that politician was Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT). At a news conference, Welch announced that he is pledging to make both of his offices (one in D.C. and one in Vermont) carbon neutral:

Congressman Peter Welch can't put solar panels on Capitol Hill, or used french fry grease to power the commercial plane that jets him back to Vermont each week. And he can't make his staff read by candlelight.

But the Vermont Democrat says he can make his offices "carbon neutral" — by promoting renewable energy projects in Vermont that negate his staff's impact on the environment.

To accomplish this, Welch will offset the estimated 56 tons of carbon dioxide produced by his offices and his travel by investing in an anaerobic methane digester on a dairy farm and a wood pellet-fired boiler that will replace a fossil fuel-fired boiler at a Vermont college. The total cost of his investments to offset that 56 tons of carbon dioxide? $672. And there's more good news, taxpayers: Welch is making the investment with his own money, and is proposing legislation that encourages his fellow lawmakers to do the same.

As Maria noted last week on Green Options, "carbon credits", also called "carbon offsets," have received quite a bit of attention lately, but they're also often misunderstood. (We hope you'll find our Renewable Energy Credits entry in the Green Living Guide and Maria's "Carbon Credits" series, with the second installment coming tomorrow, useful in this regard). In short, carbon credits are investments in clean, renewable energy that "offset" the consumption of "dirty", carbon dioxide emitting energy. Rep. Welch's offices will not directly use the renewable energy his investment helped produce. But! Somebody else will be using that clean energy instead of coal, oil, or natural gas, thereby "offsetting" or "neutralizing" the carbon emissions his offices caused.

Not only do Rep. Welch's actions raise awareness of little-known and underappreciated options like carbon credits and ideas like carbon neutrality, but they also (here's a thought) set a great example for us average citizen types. Our elected representatives have large roles to play in developing global solutions to climate change, but we, as ordinary folks, play equally important roles with our individual actions. Rep. Welch recognizes this, and he put his money where his mouth is. That's leadership.

For all I know, Rep. Welch's car gets 8 miles per gallon, his thermostat in the winter is set to 78 and in the summer to 63, and he flies in salmon from Alaska nightly for dinner. Even so, today we can proudly and sincerely say: kudos Congressman Welch.