A carbon
footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on
the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of
carbon emissions produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels
for electricity, heating, transportation, etc.
Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint,
refers to an organization or individual that has reduced the net climate impact
of their operations or activities to zero, usually after purchasing offsets in
a quantity equal to their total emissions after reduction efforts.
Carbon
negative, therefore, is
further offsetting the amount of carbon emissions to a level that is greater
than the amount of carbon emissions the operation produces itself. A carbon
negative operation is not only taking responsibility for its own carbon
emissions but is also reducing the total carbon emissions produced by the rest
of the world.
TD Bank for example, who has attained carbon neutral status over a year
ago, has opened what its says is the first bank branch in the U.S. that
generates as much energy as it uses. By installing solar panels on the roof
that will be connected to the utility gird, the branch expects to produce more
clean energy than it will use.
Steps to becoming Carbon Negative
It is becoming increasingly popular for companies to
claim that specific parts or their entire operation is carbon neutral. There are a number of ways for companies to become
carbon neutral and most require the use of carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are the “currency” for offsetting. They are quantified in metric tonnes of CO2 reduction, i.e. one carbon offset equals one tonne of emissions reduction made through selected and verified carbon projects. Carbon offsets can be purchased on a voluntary basis or to meet regulatory requirements. By purchasing carbon
offsets, a company is able to make the significant leap from being “energy
efficient” or “environmentally conscious”, to being carbon neutral or even
carbon negative. There are a number of carbon offset venders established around
the world that offer carbon offsets for companies interested in the voluntary
carbon offset market. Carbon offset venders generally recommend a similar
method for achieving carbon neutrality.
Less
Emissions Inc. (the
top ranked carbon offset vender for Canadian companies according to the 2009
survey by the David Suzuki foundation) suggests these three steps:
1. Conserve
Reduce your environmental impact through direct
efforts to reduce energy consumption (eg limiting night lighting) and increase
energy efficiency (eg lighting retrofits); reduce transportation- related
emissions (eg. Implementing anti-idling policies for fleet vehicles, and
choosing videoconferencing to connect remote employees rather than traveling by
air)
2. Switch to green
For those products and services that must be consumed,
select environmentally lower-impact alternatives where available. These could
include green power for electricity requirements, green cleaning products, and
FSC-certified paper.
3. Offset
When best efforts have been made in the preceding
areas, offset only those unavoidable emissions that remain, for example, those
associated with necessary air travel or ground transportation.
