misa going green v3
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Going Green - Build a Sustainability Plan that Lasts"TRANSCRIPT
F
Going GreenBuilding a Sustainability Plan that Lasts
Karen Mayfield, C.Tech, MCSE,Managing Principal, eSolutionsGroup
Douglas Smith, P.Geo,Project Manager,
Conestoga-Rovers & Associates
June 3, 2009
Introduction
The goal of sustainability is to “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs1”
1 As defined in the 1987 Brundtland Commission entitled Our Common Future, and as adopted by the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.
Today’s Agenda
• Drivers of Sustainability• Regulatory Status in Canada• Applicable Guidance Documents• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Five Milestones for Climate Change• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)• Achieving Stakeholder Support
Agenda
• Drivers of Sustainability• Regulatory Status in Canada• Applicable Guidance Documents• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Five Milestones for Climate Change• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)• Achieving Stakeholder Support
Key Drivers of Sustainability
• Regulatory – new laws in some areas of GHG management…more to come
• Public awareness – political messages,
• Public image – municipalities seeking recognition as leaders
• Public pressure
Key Drivers of Sustainability
• Municipalities with effective sustainability plan can:– Save money in operational costs– Benefit from grants and government
incentives– Reduce costs to address compliance and
waste issues– Build community support and approval
Agenda
• Drivers of Sustainability• Regulatory Status in Canada• Applicable Guidance Documents• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Five Milestones for Climate Change• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)• Achieving Stakeholder Support
Regulatory Status in Canada
• Inconsistent across provinces, and undefined as a whole
• Applicable regulations include:– Kyoto Protocol– Canada’s Turning the Corner– Western Climate Initiative– Alberta Environment
Regulatory Status in Canada
THIS IS ALL GOING TO CHANGE!!!
Regulatory Status in Canada
• In 2009, the US EPA listed six greenhouse gases as substances that contribute to air pollution
• United States is moving towards establishing a nation-wide framework (conflicts with Canada’s proposed framework)
• Proposed Waxman-Markey Bill
• Regulatory status in Canada dependent on what happens in the United States
Partners for Climate Protection
• Network of 183 communities throughout Canada (and growing)
• Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Five milestones:– Creating a greenhouse gas emission inventory– Set an emissions reductions target– Develop a local action plan– Implement a local action plan– Monitor progress and report results
Agenda
• Drivers of Sustainability• Regulatory Status in Canada• Applicable Guidance Documents• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Five Milestones for Climate Change• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)• Achieving Stakeholder Support
Recognized Guidance and Metrics
• Global Reporting Initiatives – Reporting Guidelines
• WBCSD-WRI – The Greenhouse Gas Protocol
• International Standard ISO 14064 - Greenhouse Gases – Guidelines
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• and many others…
Agenda
• Drivers of Sustainability• Regulatory Status in Canada• Applicable Guidance Documents• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Five Milestones for Climate Change• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)• Achieving Stakeholder Support
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• What are they?– Greenhouse gas emissions are the main
cause of human induced climate change and are governed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change.
– As a result, different national and international regulations and incentive systems aim to control the volume and reward the reduction of GHG emissions.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Substance CO2-EquivalentCarbon dioxide (CO2) 1
Methane (CH4) 21Nitrous Oxide (N2O) 310
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) 140 – 11,700
Perfluorocarbons 6,500 – 9,200
Sulphur Hexafluoride 23,900
Perfluorocarbons 6,500 – 9,200
Source: USEPA Climate Leaders
Agenda
• Drivers of Sustainability• Regulatory Status in Canada• Applicable Guidance Documents• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Five Milestones for Climate Change• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)• Achieving Stakeholder Support
Five Milestones for Climate Change
• Creating a greenhouse gas emission inventory
• Setting an emissions reductions target
• Developing a local action plan
• Implementing a local action plan
• Monitoring progress and reporting results
http://www.sustainablecommunities.fcm.ca/partners-for-climate-protection/
Part 1: Creating a Greenhouse Gas Inventory
• Select a small sample of representative departments that comprise the most significant emission sources
• Identify major emission sources for each of these departments
• Calculate baseline footprint for these Facilities through a Pilot Study
Part:1 Creating a Greenhouse Gas Inventory
• Develop a data collection management system that:– Breaks out each major emission source type;– Quantifies the amount of each fuel consumed;– Defines what sources of fuel combustion are
used at the Facility; and– Identifies any processes that emit GHGs.
Part:1 Create a Greenhouse Gas Inventory
• Baseline Assessment for reporting year
• Identify any major sources of GHG emissions
• Modify and incorporate improvements
• Review the calculation methodologies and the reporting formats prior to full corporate-wide implementation.
Part:1 Creating a Greenhouse Gas Inventory
• Do not “re-invent the wheel”
• Incorporate existing tracking mechanisms or emission calculation tools already used
Part 2: Setting Emissions Reductions Targets
• Engage stakeholders to determine their expectations
• Evaluate and assess data to determine where improvements can be made
• Compare departments and municipalities as a whole
Part 2: Setting Reduction Targets
• Evaluate potential emissions reductions versus costs, return on investment
• Set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions aggressively; ensure realistic
• Assess if improvements may be subsidized by tax incentives, stimulus money, or other financial incentives
Part 3: Developing a Local Action Plan
• Stakeholder engagement
• Data analysis of all departments to look for means of reducing carbon footprint.
• Analyze data to identify outliers – Areas that excel– Areas where improvement needed
Part 3: Develop a Local Action Plan
• Where outliers, or extreme values are identified, confirm the validity of the data entered
• Conduct an analysis of the operations at these departments
• At departments where environmental performance is abnormally low, review the data to identify the source(s) of the elevated impacts
Part 4: Implement a Local Action Plan
• Stakeholder engagement
• Strategically invest in measures that will maximize your results for your costs.
• Ensure transparency throughout the implementation process
• Accurately document any improvement made, including costs versus savings and reductions
Part 5: Monitoring Progress and Reporting Results
• Stakeholder engagement
• Report on the emissions, and prepare a detailed strategy for reducing emissions at:– (a) Department level;– (b) Divisional level; and– (c) Municipal level.
• Identify other KPIs relevant to operations
Part 5: Monitoring Progress and Reporting Results
• Department Level– Identify the major sources of environmental issues,
and key means for reducing or mitigating emissions in the future;
– Identify capital and operating costs and timing for improvements,
– calculate return on investment (ROI) and payback period.
– Assess ROI based on improvements to energy efficiency and emission control, and also on operational cost savings (improved energy efficiency).
Part 5: Monitoring Progress and Reporting Results
• Division Level– Address areas where positive initiatives have been
implemented to improve energy efficiency and to reduce emissions, and areas where improvement is required;
– Identify how the emissions compared to draft targets, and industry averages / standards (if any);
– Identify specific areas to reduce emissions and to improve energy efficiency at a division level.
Part 5: Monitoring Progress and Reporting Results
• Municipal Level– Summarize overall emissions and energy use of at a
municipality– Identify improvements implemented, and areas where
further improvements are appropriate– Identify key initiatives at the municipal level (i.e.
behavioural base) to improve energy efficiency and to reduce emissions
– Identify priority projects, including objectives and action plans to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency.
Agenda
• Drivers of Sustainability• Regulatory Status in Canada• Applicable Guidance Documents• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Five Milestones for Climate Change• Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs)• Achieving Stakeholder Support
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Quantifiable metrics used to communicate a company’s performance
• Set of KPIs selected based on review of:– Global Reporting Initiatives– United Kingdom Department of Environment,
Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)– Discussions with key corporate personnel
Sample List of KPIs
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Air Emissions
• Biodiversity
• Energy
• Raw Materials Used
• Environmental Compliance
• Environmental Expenditures
• Transportation
• Waste Management
• Water Management
Air Emissions
• Quantifies acid rain precursors, ozone depleting substances, and other air toxics, including:– Sulfur oxides (SOx)– Nitrogen oxides (NOx)– Carbon monoxide (CO)– Particulate matter (PM)– Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Biodiversity
• Tracks localized impacts on the environment and facility’s efforts to minimize those impacts
• Evaluates organizations activities and how they affect protected species and protected habitat
• Limits to evaluation can be subjective
• Difficult to track and quantify objectively
• Quantification of energy used by organization
• Direct Energy Use – energy produced on-site (i.e., furnaces, boilers, generators, etc.)
• Indirect Energy Use – energy produced off-site and used by the company (i.e., electricity)
Energy
Raw Materials Used
• Reports organizations’ reliance on virgin raw materials vs. reused, recycled, or recovered waste materials
• Substitution of raw with reused materials may result in GHG offsets
• Perform initial screening to determine if potential GHG offsets warrant further assessment
Additional KPIs
• Environmental Compliance
• Environmental Expenditures
• Transportation
• Waste Management
• Water Management
Agenda
• Drivers of Sustainability• Regulatory Status in Canada• Applicable Guidance Documents• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Five Milestones for Climate Change• Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs)• Achieving Stakeholder Support
Achieving Stakeholder Support
• Target audiences:– Community at large (taxpayers and voters)– Area business– Potential new businesses– Federal and provincial governments– Special interest parties
Achieving Stakeholder Support
• Consensus has been reached when all members of a group can agree on a single solution or decision, and each can say:
• I believe that you understand my point of view
• I believe that I understand your point of view
• Whether or not I prefer this decision, I will support it because it was reached openly and fairly
Achieving Stakeholder Support
• Public and targeted group meetings– “My opinion counts”
• One on one “champions” development– From opponents to proponents
Achieving Stakeholder Support
• PR, Media outreach– Keep informed
• Print and online– Information and communication
• Recurring council meeting agenda item– Published council minutes
– Media uptake
Achieving Stakeholder Support
Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
Government Grants and Funding
www.sustainablecommunities.fcm.ca