Carbon Footing integrates carbon credits into homebuying process

Emerging startup Carbon Footing is bringing climate-conscious decision-making to a pivotal moment in a person’s life: buying a home.

Launched in 2024 by real estate professional Chris Gross and mortgage specialist Brian Smyth, Carbon Footing is creating a new market for high-quality carbon credits by bundling them into real estate transactions. The company’s goal is to offer homebuyers an accessible, scalable step toward reducing their carbon footprint—and eventually becoming carbon neutral.

“If you’ve ever seen that box at the end of a flight asking if you’d like to offset your emissions, this is the same idea, but on a much larger scale,” Gross said.

Bridging the gap between awareness and action

Carbon credits represent the right to emit one metric ton of carbon dioxide or an equivalent greenhouse gas. In regulated markets, these credits are tightly controlled, verified, and often traded by major corporations. Carbon Footing operates in the voluntary market, where individuals can purchase verified credits to offset their personal emissions. By working with trusted suppliers like Tradewater—an organization that destroys harmful refrigerants to generate carbon credits—Carbon Footing ensures that each credit is backed by real, measurable environmental impact.

“Our customers are purchasing verified offsets as part of the buying process. We’re targeting people who want to live more sustainably but aren’t ready to invest $40,000 in solar panels. This is a more affordable bridge to get them started,” Gross continued.

For around $1,200, a buyer can purchase enough credits to offset several years’ worth of household emissions. Carbon Footing also aims to become a trusted resource for sustainability education, helping homeowners transition from offsets to real reductions like installing solar panels or eliminating gas lines.

Turning real estate into a climate solution

Carbon Footing is currently piloting the service in Appleton, with plans to expand to larger markets. While their credits can be purchased by anyone, the company’s initial focus is on embedding the product into real estate offices—much like home warranties are marketed today. However, unlike warranties, the funds for carbon credits directly support accredited climate-positive projects.

Smyth said buyers, agents, and lenders have responded with surprising enthusiasm—even in markets they hadn’t expected.

“We thought our early adopters would be in Denver or San Francisco,” said Smyth. “But we’ve seen more interest in Milwaukee and the Fox Valley than even Madison. People know this kind of change is coming, and they want to be ready.”

The credits are tracked through American Carbon Registry and handled via the title company, offering transparency and traceability throughout the transaction.

A business with room to grow

Carbon Footing sees real estate as just the beginning. Long-term goals include helping companies identify and generate their own credits and eventually creating a gamified consumer platform where actions like carpooling or composting could earn credits. For now, the founders are focused on scaling their model sustainably—one home at a time.

“We want to be the trusted guide,” Gross said. “Not just for offsets, but for everything that comes next—solar, geothermal, efficiency. We don’t just want to make a sale. We want to help people make meaningful progress toward sustainability.”