Carbon Trust provides tools to make efffective low carbon business case
The Carbon Trust announced that it has developed a how-to guide to help facilities managers, works engineers and environmental managers make an effective business case for investment in low carbon projects. The guide, Making the business case for a carbon reduction project, covers the process of securing investment from start to finish and logically works through the steps of gathering data and evidence, building the case, drafting the proposal, presenting it and then maintaining momentum. The guide is launched alongside a new online resource that helps a business through each step of planning a project. Contact: Carbon Trust www.carbontrust.co.uk
World energy creates carbon offsets with “virtual-mall”
World Energy Solutions announced on 14 April that it has created a “virtual shopping mall” to put buyers of carbon offsets in control of their trading. The company’s flagship trading platform, the World Green Exchange, now combines new technology with industry partnerships to create a “virtual mall” for carbon shopping that addresses the need for more transparency in carbon commodities procurement. To deliver an open-system for
buying carbon offsets, World Energy has established relationships with leading registries, certification standards, settlement banks and project developers including the Gold Standard and TZ1 Registry. Companies can buy carbon commodities, including Verified Emissions Reductions (VERs), Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs), Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), and other global carbon products at the online exchange. Contact: World Energy www.worldenergy.com
Solar panels providing power at Budweiser brewery
The Anheuser-Busch Fairfield brewery announced on 16 April that more than 6 acres of photovoltaic solar arrays, installed and operated by SunEdison, are now generating the equivalent of approximately 3% of the brewery’s electricity needs. The brewery also constructed a Bio-Energy Recovery System (BERS), which provides more than 15% of the brewery’s fuel needs by turning nutrients in brewing wastewater into renewable biogas. The solar system will also generate Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) for businesses or individuals to purchase to offset their use of fossil fuel energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable fuel at Anheuser- Busch’s US breweries is anticipated to reach more than 15% by the end of 2009. Contact: Anheuser-Busch www.anheuser-busch.com.
Timberland reveals climate strategy
The Timberland Company, a leading outdoor footwear and apparel company, announced on 14 April the publication of a white paper outlining its climate strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Timberland is one of the first companies to develop a formal document to define all parts of its comprehensive strategy for managing and reducing impact on global warming. In addition to understanding it’s own carbon footprint, the company also: is partnering with factories to help them reduce emissions; has designed a tool called the Green Index that gives consumers information about the environmental footprint of its footwear; is working with transportation vendors to make changes in how and where product is shipped; and advocates for public policy changes that benefit the environment. Contact: Timberland www.timberland.com
FedEx reduces fuel use with hybrid trial
FedEx Express announced on 6 April the first test results of 10 state-of-the-art hybrid vehicles designed by Iveco. The results come approximately six months after the start of testing in which the fuel-efficient vehicles were deployed in Milan and Turin, Italy. The trial, which will continue until May 2010, is part of a broader commitment from FedEx Express to environmental responsibility through the use of innovation and technology
to reduce emissions. So far, each vehicle has covered an average of 7,900 km with a 26% reduction in fuel consumption and a decrease in CO2 emissions of 7.5 tonnes when compared with a traditional vehicle. Contact: FedEx www.fedex.com
Comment
Timberland and Anheuser-Busch are implementing environmental programmes at a time when the USA – the biggest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases – appears ready to join the rest of the world in combating climate change.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial greenhouse gases (GHGs), manufacturers of vehicles and engines, and companies with large GHG emissions would be required to submit annual reports to EPA. This proposed ruling is scheduled to take effect as of 2010.
Then in April the EPA also announced that six GHGs qualify as pollution as defined under the Clean Air Act. This important ruling sets the stage for the EPA to regulate emission levels if it so chooses.
But the Obama administration has indicated a strong desire to go further. “The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009” – also known as the Waxman-Markey bill – is already under debate in the House of Representatives. Among other things, this will place limits on GHG emissions and force companies to pay for emissions beyond these limits through the purchase of carbon offsets – in other words, a cap-and-trade system. The bill is anticipated to come up for vote in 2010.
These moves, in addition to extremely well-publicised subsidies for renewable energy and energy efficiency programmes to promote a ‘green economy’, make it clear that the administration is determined to come to the climate change talks in Copenhagen showing commitment and leadership.
It is also clear that companies in the US who have not paid attention to the worldwide movement to reduce emissions have some catching up to do.
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