I know this post is a bit older, but I just stumbled across it so I would like to weigh in. The biggest thing you can do are things you can control, like selecting a renewable power plan if you're in an deregulated grid (one of the joys of living in Texas). Reduce, reuse, and recycle is of course apart of any budget minded mantra, and can be applied to reducing your carbon footprint. If you have fleet vehicles, select efficient vehicles. If you can go electric, go electric. If your people live close enough to walk or bike to work, encourage it fiscally or benefits wise (I'd take an extra day of vacation to bike to work or a cut on insurance premiums). Financial incentives can hurt your bottom line, but they're a good way to encourage "good behavior" in a way we can all appreciate while also improving moral. Money talks, good intentions often walk.
The largest concern with carbon offsets is to make sure that they're verified by third parties for sensibility and sustainability. There's no point in planting a tree if it's going to be plowed under next year for a parking lot. Provided these are met, there's no issue with them. But again, the greatest impact you can make are with things you can do yourself, because they are visual and apparent. A brochure with some happy looking animals isn't as tangible.
