GHG CleanStart Registry: How do I reduce my carbon footprint?
Reducing your carbon footprint or becoming ‘carbon neutral’ is a crucial step to help to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and subsequently minimize the effects on climate change.
Reduction opportunities can include stand-alone carbon neutral efforts such as:
- a commitment to host carbon neutral conferences and events,
- reducing the carbon footprint related to specific operations
- ensuring that a certain product line is carbon neutral.
Some other examples of easy- to- implement practices are:
- Switching computer monitors and electronic equipment to more efficient models
- Improve the energy efficiency of lighting your operations
- Reduce business travel by using telephone and web conferencing or switching from air to train travel, and
- Reduce costs and emissions from transportation by purchasing from local suppliers.
The CSA GHG CleanStart™ Registry will showcase these carbon neutral efforts in a consistent, open, and transparent manner.
From a corporate social responsibility perspective, another activity which will have a beneficial impact on reducing emissions but will have a nominal impact on a company’s GHG emission reduction activities is to encourage carpooling, biking, walking, or use of public transit by your staff.
Five essential steps for developing and reporting your carbon footprint and carbon neutral commitment.
Due to the uniqueness of each type of organization, event, or product line, there is no one ‘cookie cutter’ approach to becoming carbon neutral. However, here are some common steps:
The first basic step of any carbon neutral or emission reduction effort is to determine and measure the level of emissions associated with your organization (i.e. knowing your carbon footprint).
Small organizations, particularly service-oriented companies or office-based operations, which do not have manufacturing capabilities can commit to reduce the carbon footprint related to their operations. Two key reduction opportunities for office-based operations are related to the electricity usage and business travel. These may also result in financial co-benefits through a reduction in your operating costs.
The list of resources, references, and tools provided by CSA’s GHG CleanStart™ Registry may help you find already existing resources that will better enable you to measure your carbon footprint. It is not uncommon, where possible and as permitted, to adapt or customize an existing tool to meet your specific needs.
You must, however, be open and transparent with all sources, calculations, and assumptions so that it is very clear as to how your carbon footprint was calculated.
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Calculate the GHG emissions for your base year
(see ISO 14064-1 Section 5.3).If there is no historical or base year with a verifiable date, the FIRST GHG inventory period may be the base year. (see 14064-1 5.3.1). The base year may change and/or be recalculated if your organizational boundaries change through actions such as acquisitions, mergers or divestitures. It can not be recalculated if some facet of your business operation changed, such as expanding or reducing a product line or moving into larger or newer facilities. (see 14064-1 5.3.2).
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Calculate the emissions for your current year
(see ISO 14064-1 Section 5)Measure your carbon footprint by inventorying the greenhouse gas emissions generated within a defined boundary (i.e. those activities for which your business is responsible or that you can directly impact through procurement decisions, etc).] You should also develop targeted goals and strategies for the ongoing reduction of your emissions.
If there is no historical or base year with verifiable date, the FIRST GHG inventory period may be used as the base year. (see 14064-1 Section 5.3.1).The base year may change and/or be recalculated as explained above in step 1.(see 14064-1 Section 5.3.2)
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Create and implement a list of directed actions that reduce your GHG emissions
(see ISO 14064-1 Section 5.2)Reduce your internal emissions as much as economically feasible. Your carbon footprint or GHG inventory is a historical picture of a period of time that has already occurred; therefore, as outlined in ISO 14064-1 Section 5.2, it will need to include the list of directed actions which are the organizational activities to reduce GHG emissions or increase GHG removals.
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Purchase green electricity from renewable energy (if feasible)
Changing or switching from a fossil fuel-based electricity or heating source to a renewable energy-based electricity or heating source (such as electricity generated from wind turbine farms) is becoming increasingly more available and popular. This further reduces the GHG impacts of your operations. If and where financially viable and cost effective, purchase green electricity or other forms of renewable energy to further reduce the impact of your activities.
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Purchase and retire the GHG emission or removal offsets that correspond to your remaining emissions
If after implementing internal or directed actions to reduce GHG emissions, and if possible switching to renewable energy, there are still some GHG emissions remaining that need to be ‘offset’, you may need to purchase and retire offsets generated by external carbon-reducing activities.
An important reminder: you must fully disclose and be open and transparent with any sources, calculations, and assumptions so that it is very clear as to how the carbon footprint was calculated. If you decide to make a GHG assertion and claim of carbon neutrality, CSA’s GHG CleanStart™ Registry requires that this claim be third-party verified as well as disclosure and proof that the emission offsets have been:
- Registered on a public registry,
- Verified by a third-party, and
- Serialized and retired. (Retired means that the emission reductions/removals have been taken out of circulation.)