If you are an individual or business looking for a reputable carbon offsetting company to invest in, two highly recommended organizations are Native Energy and Climate Care.

Native Energy assists Native American communities and farmers in the development of renewable and clean energy projects. The result is a more sustainable community prospering from social, economic, and environmental benefits. A few of their impressive clientele includes; NRDC, Aveda, Warner Brothers, Clif Bar, An Inconvenient Truth and more.

Climate Care develops and manages programs around the world to reduce the amount of carbon emissions in the atmosphere. Projects range from wind farm development in China to rainforest restoration in Uganda. Clients include prominent businesses such as Barclays, Lonely Planet, Yahoo.com, CARE International and more.

Both companies have a longstanding reputation and commitment to creating sustainable economies and combatting climate change. Take a step to support indigenous and rural communities in the USA and around the world. Incorporate carbon offsetting in your business operations and daily life now! Although it is not a solution to climate change, it does help by reducing emissions and providing sustainable solutions.

Present day San Francisco has altered dramatically since the time of the Ohlones. The landscape, climate, wildlife, residents and way of life have dramatically transformed to the metropolis we know today.

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Today, many of the birds and animals from the time of the Ohlones are no longer present while other species have diminished in number. Suisun Marsh and a few other wetlands are the only remnants of the abundant swamp-life that once existed in the Bay Area. Even the animals’ behavior has changed from fearless of the early European explorers to present-day aversion of human contact. Many of the native plants and animals have been replaced by invasive species. Scotch broom is an example of an invader that has aggressively taken over native habitats and is causing environmental, health and economic harm. The NRDC states, “the San Francisco Bay-Delta is the most invaded aquatic ecosystem in North America, and may be the most invaded estuary in the world.”

The altered landscape is most evident by the manmade metropolis that now covers what, at one time, was a vast expanse of untouched land. However, in comparison with green areas in other cities, San Francisco prides itself on an abundance of parks and open space. The ‘green network’ includes; Golden Gate Park which spans 1000 acres, the 991 acres of open space in the Presidio, over 1 million acres of protected open space in the surrounding Greenbelt and many other sites.

The homogenous Ohlone have been replaced with a plethora of cultures spanning from all continents of the world. Currently, residents of American Indian or Alaska Native descent constitute 0.6% of the City’s population and own 0.5% of the businesses. Tribal groups representative in and surrounding the Bay Area include Ohlone, Miwok, Yokuts, Maidu, Wintun, Pomo, Wappo and those of other tribal affiliations that have relocated to the region. The ethnic and cultural diversity of San Francisco also includes; Chinese, Hispanic, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Croatian-American, African-American, Lesbian/Bi/Gay, and many more. The professional and economic diversity is as diverse as the residents. While modern-times no longer mandate hunting and gathering, the professions of San Franciscans range in variety including the arts, medicine, education, finance, medical science, technology and tourism.

Prior to European exploration, what we know as San Francisco was once inhabited by indigenous people. Only 200 years ago, the Bay Area was an untouched wilderness, abundant in wildlife and home for the Ohlone. What was life like during the time of the original inhabitants?

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Prior to the first ‘significant’ European intrusion into the Bay Area in 1767, the physical environment and lifestyle of the original inhabitants differed vastly from how it is today. Only 200 years ago, the Bay Area was an untouched landscape abundant in wildlife. Preceding the advent of invasive species, shoulder-high native grasses spread across vast meadowlands and savannahs. Thousands of acres of marshland outlined the Bay while thick oak and redwood forests filled the hills. The richness of ecological habitats allowed prolific varieties of wildlife to thrive in the region. According to accounts from European explorers and missionaries, the plentiful amounts of wildlife were incomparable to other parts of the globe. The diversity of wildlife included; elk, antelope, deer, rabbits, mountain lions, bobcats, wolves, grizzly bears, bald eagles, giant condors, sea otters, seabirds and other species.

Living in coexistence with the rich land, the Ohlone occupied the current area of San Francisco, extending east to Berkeley and as far south as Monterey. A thriving population of thirty to forty permanent villages and dozens of temporary camps outlined the fringes of the San Francisco Bay. Archaeological evidence indicates the likelihood that the Ohlone lived in a relatively peaceful and stable state for hundreds of years. When the Spaniards found this region at the end of the eighteenth century, they were confronted by direct descendants of people living undisturbed for centuries (at the minimum 1,200 to a maximum of 4,500 years). The Ohlone way of life is not fully known, but speculation from existing information provides a glimpse into their world.

The villages comprised of about 15 dome-shaped tule houses encircling a cleared central area, in addition to a sweat house for prayer and earth mounds for cemeteries. They followed ancient subsistence patterns of hunting and gathering with a diet comprised of insects, lizards, gophers, rabbits, quail, deer, elk and a variety of other small and large game. They were a “Stone-Age’ people in regards to their use of flint or obsidian-tipped arrows, stone mortars and pestles, and tools made of bones, shell and wood. Women sang songs as they ground acorns or wove baskets while men sang and prepared themselves, in the sweat house, for the next day’s hunt. As clothing was not a necessity, the few garments (women’s skirts and men’s cloaks) were made of tule reeds, deer and rabbit skin and lack of footwear was evident from their hardened feet (accustomed to going barefoot). Their muscular bodies were adorned in face tattoos, nose and ear piercings, and jewelry made from shells and feathers. The chief governed the people while the shaman provided sacred counsel. Trade was an important business practice and was conducted out of a sense of sharing and generosity. They married, bore children, defended their way of life, skillfully hunted, danced, prayed and lived in a sacred realm of magic and power. The Ohlone relationship with the natural world was one of coexistence, living intimately as a component of the web of life.