I discussed this with a coworker the other day - buying carbon offsets is a good way of pricing convenience vs urge to do good in the environment. He drives to

I discussed this with a coworker the other day - buying carbon offsets is a good way of pricing convenience vs urge to do good in the environment. He drives to work every day, because taking the bus is a hassle/takes time, etc. What's the value to him of taking the bus? Helping the environment in some unspecified way. If he pays for carbon offsets for his driving, he can now say "hey, taking the bus saves me $x/month, I think that's (not) worth it".