May 16--COHOES -- Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.'s premium sheets include such shades as mahogany, ocean mist, desert haze, eucalyptus and balm.

But starting today, all that high-end paper will come in one color: green. That's green in the environmental sense, since the company has made its premium line "carbon neutral." The environmental designation refers to a company's attempt to offset its burning of natural gas by investing in an environmentally friendly project -- in this case, one that generates electricity from methane gas captured at a landfill outside Chicago. The idea is that the emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in one plant are offset by the reduction of carbon dioxide somewhere else. The premium paper line manufactured at Mohawk includes Strathmore and Becket, a lush product used for corporate annual reports, catalogs, posters and other high-end printing projects.

While the paper represents a relatively small percentage of Mohawk's verall product line, company officials say it's a start. "By purchasing the offset, you're encouraging the shift to renewable energy projects," said Michelle Carpenter, Mohawk's manager of environmental affairs. Nationally, more and more businesses are buying into the concept, in an effort to become more environmentally friendly. Mohawk, which owns plants in the Capital Region and in Ohio, joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Leaders program arlier this year to develop emission-reduction goals. Since 2003, Mohawk has bought wind-energy credits to offset the consumption of electricity at the plant.

Now, it will buy "verified emission reductions" to offset the burning of natural gas at some of its plants. The gas is burned in boilers to produce team that is used during the papermaking process. The credit is more theoretical than actual. The wind-generated electricity does not go directly to Mohawk, nor do any of Mohawk's factories get to use any of the methane generated at the Des Plaines landfill in Illinois. However, by spending money on these renewable resources, the company is encouraging the use of environmentally safe programs, said Carol Murphy, executive director of Alliance for Clean Energy New York Inc., an advocacy group in Albany.

"It's all part and parcel of what can be done to encourage renewable energy and using energy from clean resources," she said. "I think we're seeing more companies wanting to reduce their carbon footprint." David Gahl, a spokesman for Environmental Advocates of New York in Albany, said the offset program raised some questions: How do you prove that Mohawk's investment in green technology somewhere else directly resulted in carbon dioxide cuts? Maybe the mo ey for that technology would have come from somewhere else if Mohawk didn't get involved, he said. Gahl said companies like Mohawk should keep trying to reduce their own emissions at the same time.

"It's good they're trying to do offsets," he added. "But it doesn't eliminate their responsibility to invest in technological improvements to emit the least amount of carbon as possible." Wechsler can be reached at 454-5469 or by e-mail at awechsler@timesunion.com.