Of Politics and Carbon Footprints - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com

At European Union headquarters in Brussels, the main source of concern is the frequent travel and multiple offices of legislators.

One of the many quirks of the E.U. is the existence of two European Parliament buildings – one in Brussels and a second in Strasbourg, France, which obliges members to swap offices every few weeks. Many parliamentarians and officials make the trip by car or plane – fattening their carbon footprints in the process.
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According to an article by Jennifer Rankin, a reporter at the European Voice, a newspaper that covers E.U. affairs, the environment department of the European Commission has decided not to go carbon neutral through buying carbon offsets.

“Offsetting would be essentially through the European taxpayer who pays the European budget,” Karl Falkenberg, the department’s director-general, told Ms. Rankin. Mr. Falkenberg plans to reduce departmental travel instead. “I have a duty to spend the budget in the most efficient way,” he said.