CareyNeutral® FAQ
What is Climate Change and How Does it Effect The
World?
Climate Change refers to the increase in the average temperature
of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the
mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation. The main
cause of climate change is attributed to the build up of carbon
dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. While every living thing
produces CO2 naturally, human activities such as the combustion
of fossil fuels and deforestation have caused the concentration
of atmospheric carbon dioxide to increase by about 35% since the
early 1900's. Experts believe that the increasing global
temperature may cause sea levels to rise, exacerbate the
intensity of extreme weather events, and affect the amount and
pattern of global precipitation. Other effects of global warming
will include changes in agricultural yields, trade routes,
glacier retreat, species extinctions and extension in the ranges
of disease vectors.
What Does "Carbon Neutral" Mean?
Being carbon neutral means that an individual or organization
has reduced their CO2 footprint this could be partial reduction
or to net zero depending upon what initiatives they have done.
Reduction can be accomplished through a combination of internal
changes, reduction and conservation strategies, as well as
carbon offsetting.
Carbon offsetting means that for every one tonne* of CO2 a
person or organization produces, they pay for an equivalent one
tonne of CO2 to be saved through a carbon offset project
somewhere else in the world. One tonne 'offsets' the other.
Individuals or organizations can invest in carbon-offset
projects through the purchase of carbon credits.
Carbon offsetting is an unregulated practice, therefore those
companies and individuals claiming to be carbon neutral must
partner with a credible agency to ensure that their carbon
reduction and offsetting strategies are truly achieving a net
zero carbon footprint and offsetting their carbon emissions
according to best practices and reasonable sustainability
standards.
What does CarbonNeutral® mean?
While many organizations claim to be carbon neutral, only those
that achieve the CarbonNeutral brand mark can confidently and
without any further qualifications say that they have truly
achieved a net zero carbon footprint.
Who is The CarbonNeutral Company?
Established for over ten years, the CarbonNeutral Company is the
world's leading carbon offset and climate consulting business,
working with over 300 businesses and 50,000+ consumer clients.
Carey has partnered with The CarbonNeutral Company to help
measure our global warming emissions, implement reduction
strategies, and 'offset' the remaining emissions.
CarbonNeutral® is the registered trademark of The CarbonNeutral
Company and is the leading brand mark and quality standard for
action on climate change. Permission to display the
CarbonNeutral mark is only given to organizations when CO2
emissions have been measured and reduced to net zero through a
program implemented in accordance with The CarbonNeutral
Protocol. This Protocol assures quality of offset projects,
carbon footprint assessments and communication and is regularly
reviewed by an Independent Advisory Group.
The CarbonNeutral Company has an outstanding quality assurance
record. This includes:
An Independent Advisory Group: of leading academics, scientists
and businesses 3rd party 'assurance' of the business: The
CarbonNeutral Company commissions PwC to review the entire
business and report publicly on its integrity Accounting
standards: The CarbonNeutral Company has introduced the Policy
for Accounting and Reporting Carbon (PARC) as an industry
standard Online carbon register: The CarbonNeutral Company is
one of the only carbon offset companies to have
a carry an on-line public register of its carbon offset projects
The CarbonNeutral Company guarantees every tonne of a carbon
offset
For more information please go to www.carbonneutral.com.
What does this partnership mean for Carey?
From a social responsibility perspective, Carey's partnership
with The CarbonNeutral Company is a significant step in our
overall environmental strategy. Carey acknowledges our impact on
the environment and endeavors to responsibly do everything
within reason to mitigate any damage we may be causing. While
our vehicle suppliers have not yet produced any viable options
for our industry, CarbonNeutral will provide supplementary
results in the form of carbon offset projects, while we push our
supplies to produce a permanent, sustainable solution in the
form of alternative-fueled vehicles and advanced renewable
energy resources.
Which Carey Cities are currently considered CarbonNeutral® companies?
Offset projects are selected specifically to mitigate the
estimated carbon output of a particular office. In 2007, Carey
UK was the only operation that was considered CarbonNeutral®. As
of February 1, 2008, Carey San Francisco became Carey's second
operation and first in North America to earn CarbonNeutral®
company status when Carey entered into an agreement with the
CarbonNeutral Company to offset the approximately 863.1 tonnes
of CO2 that Carey San Francisco is expected to produce this year.
What are the specific offset projects that we are
supporting for San Francisco?
Carey is currently supporting three projects to offset the CO2
emissions produced by Carey San Francisco that we are currently
unable to eliminate.
- Sichuan Province- Hydro Power Project, China
This project bundles four small run-of-river hydro power
stations in Sichuan Province, western China. The project
displaces electricity generated by fossil-fuel power plants and
will generate emission reductions of an estimated 360,000 tCO2
equivalent between 2006 and 2012, verified and certified to the
Voluntary Carbon Standard
- Kotmar- Waste Heat Recovery Project, India
This energy efficiency project in India captures waste heat at a
steel plant and uses it to produce electricity, which is
subsequently fed into the local grid. The project has generated
emission reductions of 74,263 tCO2 equivalent between 2004 and
2007, verified and certified to the Voluntary Carbon Standard.
- Guizhou- Hydro-Power Project, China
This project sees the construction of small and medium hydro
power stations in Guizhou Province, southwest China. The project
will displace electricity generated by fossil fuel power plants
and generate emission reductions of an estimated 190,000 tCO2
equivalent between 2005 and 2007, verified to the Voluntary
Carbon Standard.
What are the specific offset projects that we are
supporting for Carey UK in 2008?
Carey is currently supporting two projects to offset the CO2
emissions produced by Carey UK.
- Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka -Jamnagar Wind Power
Project, India
This project sees the construction of a new wind turbine bundle
in India. By providing renewable energy, the project helps to
reduce India's reliance on fossil fuels for electricity
generation. The project is expected to generate emission
reductions of over 200,000 tCO2 between 2006 and 2008, verified
to the Voluntary Carbon Standard.
- Snowdonia- Mynydd-Y-Garnedd Reforestation
Project—Wales
Mynydd-Y-Garnedd has been designed to grow from a combination of
natural regeneration and new planting. The main species that
will be planted are birch, sessile oak, rowan, willow, hazel and
hawthorn - all grown from locally sourced seed. To prepare the
site a number of small non-indigenous conifers have been felled
and the deadwood left to create a deadwood habitat. Finally, the
wet heaths and rock outcrops at the site have been left
unplanted as areas of open space, to create diverse woodland
with a variety of wildlife habitats.
What are the specific offset projects that Carey UK
supported in 2007?
Carey participated in two projects to offset the CO2 emissions
produced by Carey UK in 2007.
- Pennsylvania- Coal Mine Methane Capture, USA
This project captured methane from a disused coal mine in
Pennsylvania. Methane is 21 times more potent than CO2 as a
greenhouse gas. The project continues to generate emission
reductions of 133,000 tCO2 equivalent between 2006 and 2010.
- Chiapas, Scolel Te Social Forestry Project, Chiapas,
Mexico
This project enables farmers to plant fruit and nut tree
orchards on their land, restoring it to its original forested
state. These trees will soak up carbon dioxide to effectively
'neutralize' carbon dioxide generating activities. Our
involvement will help to offset over 30,000tCO2 over a 100-year
period
How do projects in China and India help reduce carbon
emissions in San Francisco or the UK?
The idea is balance. Climate change is a global problem;
therefore CO2 emissions released into the air over San Francisco
or the UK contribute to the same problem as other places
throughout the world. The main idea of our carbon-offset
strategy is to invest in methods that balance out Carey's CO2
emissions in designated markets while simultaneously taking
measures to reduce our overall output as well.
