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The Carbon Management Strategic Priority

Carbon management is moving up the corporate agenda and many companies now understand the need to handle their emissions. As you prepare to manage your carbon, review this short report on what you should do and when you should do it.  This report explores companies perception of carbon management and helps evidence the case that carbon management is a growing strategic issue.

10 Stops on the Road to Carbon Management

There’s no denying that managing carbon has become table stakes in today’s business world. Organizations of all shapes and sizes need to manage their carbon footprint — and they know it. However, what some don’t know is where to begin.  This list of ten steps is a great place to start for companies that are committed to moving forward on carbon management.

Carbon Footprinting: The Next Step to Reducing Your Emissions

This report from The Carbon Trust clearly explains the key steps that a business can take to:

Calculate its organizational carbon footprint — by measuring greenhouse gas emissions arising from all its activities and setting a benchmark for reducing emissions in the future. The guide also explains how to have the business’s carbon footprint independently verified to help communicate claims with integrity.

Assess, communicate and verify the carbon footprint of a product — a product’s carbon footprint includes carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions across its entire lifecycle from manufacture and distribution to its use and disposal.

Use a carbon footprint for ongoing carbon management — calculating a carbon footprint is just the first step in putting together a carbon management program to reduce emissions. A carbon management program can help to encourage innovation and create cost-savings across a business.

EDF Inovation Exchange

The Environmental Defense Fund’s Innovation Exchange is designed to help companies starting down the path towards becoming green businesses. They provide a suite of practical yet impactful tools and a dynamic online community of peers, that can help you improve both your company and the planet.  Through partnerships with large and small businesses, they have learned about what it takes to create change within a company. Many of the tools and best practices grew out of their work.

In the area of Climate Change, they explain why developing a climate strategy for your business is good for the bottom line, good for stakeholders and a good hedge against future policy implications.  See the site for tools, publications, case studies and links to other resources for establishing a climate strategy.  Initial steps for any company are captured in what they call the 4 “Cs”: Conserve, Convert, Choose Offsets and Call for Action.

Climate Trust Business Carbon Calculator

This calculator will calculate the amount of carbon dioxide annually emitted as a result of your organization’s activities. The calculator can account for electricity and natural gas usage, vehicle use, flying, and shipping.

Terra Pass Carbon Calculator

How to measure, reduce and off-set your business’ carbon footprint.  Contains an easy to use carbon calculator.

Native Energy

Native American energy company using individuals’ and groups’ carbon offsets to fund renewable energy projects in Native American communities; site has carbon calculators and resources for purchasing offsets.

Carbonfund.org Carbon Calculator

Carbonfund.org has become a major player in providing carbon calculators for a number of different business needs.  Choose from the following calculators for your business needs: Employee Commute Carbon calculator, an Events Emissions calculator, a Fleet Emissions calculator, an Office Emissions calculator, a Paper Emissions calculator and a Shipping Emissions calculator.

Measure, Manage, Report: How Companies can Prepare for a Low Carbon Economy

In January, 2010 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued guidance on disclosure of climate change risks and opportunities at publicly traded companies. Stating that “certain existing disclosure rules…may require a company to disclose the impact that business or legal developments related to climate change may have on its business,” the guidance directs companies to evaluate and disclose the physical impacts of climate change on their operations.  The guidance issued by the Commission did not provide a framework for such evaluation and disclosure. In order to help companies develop meaningful initiatives, the Environmental Defense Fund has published A Roadmap to Corporate GHG Programs. See especially page 2, Steps to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions.