GHG CleanStart Registry: Registration Process and Steps Page

This "registration process page" provides an outline of the CSA GHG CleanStart™ Registry process and associated fees.

Registration process flowchart

Documents:

APPLICATION FORM - NO FEE
* Required *

LETTER OF INTENT - $100
* Required only when rest of documents are pending. If the GHG Report or Carbon Footprint, Carbon Neutral and Verification reports are submitted immediately, a Letter of Intent is not necessary *
If submitted, the Letter of Intent will be publicly available on the Registry. It should provide guidance to the public as to what the GHG emissions inventory, reduction initiatives, and/or carbon neutral commitment will be. A time frame or reporting period should be identified along with a signed endorsement support statement from senior management.

CARBON FOOTPRINT OR GHG REPORT - $100
* Required *
The Carbon Footprint Report or GHG Report will be publicly available on the Registry. It should document the base year and current year GHG inventory for the relevant organization, event, product, or service in a manner consistent with the principles of ISO 14064-1.

CARBON NEUTRAL REPORT - $100
* Required *
The Carbon Neutral Report will be publicly available on the Registry. It should document directed actions, purchases of renewable energy and the ownership of any offsets used to achieve carbon neutrality. It must also demonstrate that the offsets purchased are sufficient to achieve carbon neutrality, and present evidence that these offsets were retired. Offsets must be registered on a publicly available Registry and be 3rd party verified.

SELF DECLARATION OR VERIFICATION REPORT - $100
* One of the two is required *
Those participants that choose to self-declare carbon neutrality for their organization, event, product or service will have their self-declaration posted on the Registry. The self-declaration must be consistent with the requirements of ISO 14064-3.
If submitted, the Verification Report will be publicly available on the Registry. It should cover: the Carbon Footprint Report; the Carbon Neutral Report; and the GHG assertion (i.e. claim of carbon neutrality). It should be completed by a third party verifier in a manner consistent with the requirements of ISO 14064-3.

LETTER OF PARTICIPATION - $200
* One of two Letter of Participation will be provided, depending on whether a self-declaration was made or a Verification Report submitted *
A letter of participation in GHG CleanStart™ Registry will be issued to users who have submitted an application form, a letter of intent and/or a Carbon Footprint/GHG Report, and a Carbon Neutral Report and who self declare carbon neutrality.

A letter of participation as well as a CSA carbon neutral certificate will be issued to GHG CleanStart™ Registry participants who have submitted a Verification Report from a 3rd party verifier. The certificate will contain details of the scope of the user's participation in CSA's GHG CleanStart™ Registry. A completed application form, a letter of intent and/or a Carbon Footprint/GHG Report, and a Carbon Neutral Report must also have been provided.

You are responsible for setting up your own carbon neutral program in a manner that meets the requirements of CSA's GHG CleanStart™ Registry. Here are some suggestions for getting started.

  1. Review Guidance Documents and Options
    Select option(s) appropriate for needs/application/desired level of verification
  2. Make Intent Known
    Document unit of analysis (organization, event, product/service)
    CSA's GHG CleanStart™ Registry Application Form and Letter of intent
  3. Identify Scope of Analysis
    Take into consideration desired level of recognition, as this will need to be included in your GHG Report or Carbon Footprint Report.
    Include in GHG Report or Carbon Footprint Report
  4. Measure footprint/inventory
    Access appropriate calculators, templates, checklists, guidance materials and ISO 14064-1.
    Include in GHG Report or Carbon Footprint Report
  5. Create footprint/inventory report
    Document what was done
    Include Carbon Footprint Report containing the “GHG Assertion”
  6. Create carbon neutral report
    Document what was done to become carbon neutral.
    Include in Carbon Neutral Report
  7. Verification or self declaration
    Obtain third party verification of carbon neutrality or make self declaration.
    Include in Verification Report or Self Declaration Report
  8. Letter of participation
    Receive a Letter of Participation by submitting the CSA's GHG CleanStart™ Registry Application Form

The following table outlines different sources that you can use to help get you started in assessing your carbon footprint. You are ultimately responsible for your own GHG Inventory. The sources below should not necessarily be your only reference.

These suggestions show the correlation and high level of complementarity between the ISO 14064 series of standards and the WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol and the Canadian GHG Challenge Registry Guide. ISO 14064 details requirements on what needs to be done in GHG accounting and verification efforts, while the GHG Protocol outlines not only what needs to be done, but also how to undertake GHG accounting and reporting. The Canadian GHG Challenge Registry Guide was influenced by the comprehensive work of WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol.


Please note that the Challenge Registry Guide was drafted to complement a predecessor registry to CSA's GHG CleanStart™ Registry. The sections specifically referenced below may provide helpful guidance, however note that the other contents of the Challenge Registry Guide may not be appropriate for the purposes of preparing information for CSA's GHG CleanStart™ Registry.

ISO 14064-1 WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol Canadian GHG Challenge Registry Guide
Understanding Uses for GHG Inventory
     IntroductionBusiness Goals and Inventory Design (Section 2)What is the Registration Procedure? (Section 1)
Building Your Action Plan (Section 2)
GHG Accounting Principles
     Principles (Section 3)Accounting and Reporting Principles (Section 1)Principles (from the WRI/WBCSD GHG Protocol) (Section 2.1)
What Parts of the Organization Should be Included?
     Organizational Boundaries (Section 4.1)Setting Organizational Boundaries (Section 3)Boundaries (Section 2.2.1)
What Activities Should be Included?
     Operational Boundaries (Section 4.2)Setting Operational Boundaries (Section 4)Boundaries (Section 2.2.1)
What Emission Sources Should be Included?
     Quantification of GHG emissions and removals (Section 4.3)Identifying and Calculating Emissions (Section 6)Measurement Techniques (Section 2.2.2)
Reporting Data (Section 2.2.3)

Checklist element:
2 - Base year quantification
Comparing Performance Over Time
     Base year GHG inventory (Section 5.3)Tracking Emissions Over Time (Section 5) Checklist Element - Recalculating Historic Emissions (Section 2.2.4)
Checklist Section 3 - Results Achieved
Checklist Section 4 - Business-as-usual projections
Checklist Section 5 - Target Setting
Checklist Section 6 - Past Actions
Checklist Section 7 - Potential Future Actions to Achieve Targets
Quality Management System
     GHG inventory quality management (Section 6)Managing Inventory Quality (Section 7)Quality Control (Section 2.2.5)

Checklist element 1.3 - Management system description
Reporting
     Reporting of GHG (Section 7)Reporting GHG Emissions (Section 9)Transmittal Form (Section 3)
Submitting Your Action Plan (Section 4)
Champion Reporting Checklist (Section 5)

Checklist elements 1.2 - Commitment to regular reporting
Education, Training and Awareness (Section 8)
Posting and recogntion on the Canadian GHG Challenge Registry.
Verification
     Organization’s role in verification activities
Also see ISO 14064-3 (Section 8)		 Verification of GHG Emissions (Section 10) Checklist element 3.7 - Results that are verifiable
Checklist element 3.8 - Results that have been externally verified