By Shane Pepin

There has been a flurry of news this past year regarding climate change in scientific, legislative, economic and even social circles. Much of this talk has gone beyond defining what the problem is and whether it is real, and instead focuses on what we as countries, organizations, and individuals can do about it. One of the first questions that typically gets asked when the topic shifts to action is “What is your carbon footprint?” Generally, what people are referring to is an entity’s impact on the environment from a climate change perspective, most often expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). Though it may be an obvious and appropriate question to ask, it is not an easy question to answer. A key reason that this question is difficult to answer is that is hard to determine what your carbon footprint is when there is not even an agreed upon definition of what a carbon footprint truly is. Lacking this, it can quickly become difficult for individuals and organizations to confidently express what they’re impact on the environment is with respect to climate change, and hence, make changes for the better. In this article we will take a look at some of the ideas concerning what makes up a “carbon footprint” and offer some insights on how you can define it with respect to your own situation to best meet both your needs and the needs of those asking you these questions.

In the wake of greatly expanded public consciousness of climate change concerns, there are now many websites that will calculate your own personal carbon footprint. These websites use some general information supplied by you (what kind of car you drive and how much you drive it, how big your house is, how much you fly) to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions that can be attributed to your actions. Of necessity, these calculators use broad approximations to provide a rough estimate of your carbon footprint. Although this type of footprint has a low degree of rigour, is succeeds in its main purpose: giving people an idea of what their climate impacts are, and identifying areas where they can take actions to reduce. Personal carbon footprint calculators have been developed by non-profit environmental organizations (Safe Climate http://www.safeclimate.net/calculator/) and companies that sell carbon offsets as a means to reduce your footprint (Zerofootprint’s Carbon Calculator http://www.zerofootprintoffsets.com/calculator.aspx).

Many companies have started looking at the carbon footprints of their products. The carbon footprint of a product generally takes into account all of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with that product - from resource extraction, through transportation and manufacturing, to product use and disposal. This type of footprint is strongly linked to the concept of lifecycle assessment, and may include all or some of these lifecycle stages. There has been particular interest in carbon labeling of food, and in the UK the grocery chain Tesco has committed to carbon labeling every product it carries. In Canada, organizations that advocate carbon labeling of products have begun to emerge, such as Carbon Counts (http://www.carboncounts.ca/).

Carbon footrprinting has also been undertaken for specific events. The organizers of the 2012 London Olympics are planning to determine their expected carbon footprint by 2008, and plan to reduce their footprint as much as possible. Potential measures include fueling the Olympic flame with biogas instead of natural gas. Other high profile events, such as the Superbowl, have determined their carbon footprint as part of an effort to make the events carbon neutral.

Companies are constructing their own carbon footprints, taking into consideration the unique features of their type of business. The King Pacific Lodge is a floating fishing lodge moored in the Barnard Harbour on Princess Royal Island, B.C. It is accessible only by float plane, and is in close proximity to the Great Bear Rainforest. The Lodge has announced its attention to determine its carbon footprint and reduce it by half in the next five years. Their footprint will include all lodge operations, and will also take into account employee travel and guest air travel to and from the lodge. They will endeavour to eventually create a carbon neutral vacation.

Air Canada has also teamed up with Zerofootprint, a Toronto-based non-profit agency that works to help companies and organizations become more carbon-neutral. And VIA Rails is making customers aware that train or bus travel can produce three to six times less CO2 emissions than flying.

How can you determine what to include in your carbon footprint?

There are no definitive answers to this question. However, companies who choose to examine their carbon footprint might look at: direct emissions that result from activities the organization directly controls, such as gas used to provide hot water for the workplace; emissions from the use of electricity for lighting and equipment; indirect emissions from products and services. Producing a full footprint covering all three areas is clearly a complex task.

There is currently no single standard for reporting carbon footprints, which means companies can essentially report their carbon footprint in any way they choose, which makes comparisons between them virtually impossible. Some footprints are based on a time period basis, such as how much is produced per year, some are on a unit basis, for example per event or product, and some report the tonnes of CO2 equivalent while others report only tonnes of CO2. Several environmental groups are putting pressure on their national governments to introduce a standardized carbon footprint report format and international standards are emerging, which should make this process more uniform.

Until standardized report formats are introduced, the most significant factor influencing how your company reports its carbon footprint will probably be your target audience. If the purpose of measuring your carbon footprint is simply to understand and manage it, then a more basic process might be sufficient. If the purpose of measuring it is for marketing processes or with a goal to become carbon neutral, a more rigorous process must be followed.

A basic process involves quantifying on site heating fuel usage, onsite electricity usage and use of transport that the company owns. Indirect emissions, from waste disposal for example, are optional. A more detailed process will include these indirect emissions and often requires professional advice. The World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have produced the GHG Protocol methodology, which provides greater detail about the steps that should be taken to accurately calculate a company’s carbon footprint. The International Standard’s Organization standards for organization GHG inventories, ISO 14064, also provides a more recent guide to corporate footprint calculation and emissions reporting.

Once a company has measured its carbon footprint, it will more accurately be able to determine which areas provide opportunities for reducing GHG emissions and the size of its carbon footprint. Keeping this in mind may also help determine what a suitable carbon footprint for your organization is. Looking at activities that your organization is involved with and can realistically affect can serve as a good benchmark for determining whether you should report on it.

Keeping these factors in mind should set you on the path to determining an appropriate definition of a carbon footprint that meets the needs of your organization and those that you wish to report your footprint to. More importantly, defining a carbon footprint that is accurate and comprehensive enough to gather valuable insights into your organization’s impacts on climate change can set the stage for effective action down the road.

“Tesco to 'carbon label' its products” January 19, 2007. Financial Times on-line. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/966e2910-a765-11db-83e4-0000779e2340.html

“London plan low-carbon Games flame” November 26, 2007. CNN.com/world sport. http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SPORT/11/26/olympic.flame.ap/index.html

“Super Bowl, Olympics Offset Carbon Emissions” November 30, 2006. Environmental Leader. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2006/11/30/super-bowl-olympics-offset-carbon-emissions/

“King Pacific Lodge a Trailblazer on Carbon Footprints” November 9, 2007. BC Marine Adventures. http://www.bcmarineadventures.com/new/newsflash/king-pacific-lodge-a-trailblazer-on-carbon-footp.html “Green travel Expanding its footprint in Canada” September 7, 2007. Business Edge http://www.businessedge.ca/article.cfm/newsID/16117.cfm

Carbon Footprinting: An introduction for Organisations Carbon Trust 2007. http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/publications/publicationdetail.htm?productid=CTV033