How do you go carbon neutral?

By Rick LoBello, Board Member

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Like so many I often go on Google when searching the Internet.  Goggle includes a link below the search box at the bottom of the page stating that they have been carbon neutral since 2007.  Carbon neutral is defined as making no net release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, especially through offsetting emissions by doing things like planting trees, an extremely important goal in confronting the climate crisis.  

So how can a business or a city department become carbon neutral?   It is not as easy as you might think.   According to Fernando Berjano, the City’s Sustainability Coordinator our first step is to collect data on the refrigerants used for our air conditioning systems in buildings and vehicles so that we can measure the volume and the kind of refrigerant we use.  We also need to know the kinds of vehicles we have and the annual fuel consumption.   Finally, we need to know how much electricity and natural gas we use every year.

Gathering this information takes time, but hopefully we will be able to determine our carbon footprint.  When we do we then need to start making major steps to reduce our carbon emissions and find ways to offset unavoidable emissions.  We can do that by accessing a diversified set of offset projects.   Offset projects need to be verified and can include planting trees. The Zoo keeps trying plant more trees but space is limited.  Other offset measures we can take can include improving the insulation in buildings, switching to renewable energy sources, buying more energy efficient equipment, using less water, turning off more lights, reducing what we use, reusing when we can and supporting more effective recycling programs.

Planting trees can’t replace slashing carbon emissions

Carbon offsetting may sound like a simple solution, but unfortunately the way we combat the climate crisis is not by carbon offsetting alone.  Offsetting does not really deliver what needs to happen – a reduction in the carbon emissions entering the atmosphere.  No matter what offsetting actions we take we must focus on the number one thing we can do to combat the climate crisis and that is drastically reducing carbon emissions in the atmosphere. 

For this to happen every community, every country needs to take a hard look at how they operate from day to day.   Business models need to be overhauled just as drastically if not more drastically than how we responded to the Covid-19 pandemic.    How business models are overhauled will take a lot of thought, planning and action.  Examples of steps that can be taken include the following (source – youmatter.world):

1 – Measure and Analyze Greenhouse Gas Emissions – the Zoo is moving in this direction now.

2 – Reducing Energy Consumption
3 – Give Renewable Energies A Go

4 – Reduce Waste

5 – Optimize Employees’ Transportation

6 – Choose Greener Infrastructures And Equipment

7 – Choose Sustainable Suppliers

8 – Raise Awareness Among Employees, Clients And Other Stakeholders

9 – Promote Environmentally Friendly Ways Of Working

10 – Mobilize For The Climate Change Challenge

The big question is this – do over seven billion people living on the planet have the knowledge, the will and the resources to react to the climate crisis in an effective way?  

Photos

Top – Petra Wessman, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Middle – Melinda Young Stuart , Wikimedia Creative Commons
Bottom and Cover – Wayne S. Grazio , Wikimedia Creative Commons