Ever find the world of global warming a little overwhelming?

Between myriad climate initiatives, myths and misinformation, piles of studies, and countless websites and advocacy groups, it's tough to make sense of it all.

True, there may be a bit of an information overload surrounding climate change. But one new organization is simplifying things. And it's accomplishing this by viewing climate change through the lens of a magic number: 350.

Essentially, according to scientific consensus and a seminal report by Dr. James Hansen—perhaps the world’s most venerated climate change researcher—350 ppm (parts per million) is the safe upper limit for atmospheric carbon dioxide. So 350.org was launched to make that number a focal point of achievable, realistic action on climate change.

The bad news is we’re above this value currently, with CO₂ at about 390 ppm, which is one of the highest values ever. Actually, we’re pretty much exactly at 390.09 ppm, according to the live data provided by CO2now.org. The worse news is that atmospheric CO₂ has been steadily increasing at an accelerating rate. In 1959 (the first year precise measurements were taken) we sat at a comfortable 316 ppm. In 1988 we cracked 350 ppm. Two years ago we recorded about 387 ppm and though levels have never been higher than they are today, we’re projected to reach 450 ppm by 2035 and a staggering 860 ppm by 2095!

That’s if nothing is done about it, which brings me to the good news: according to 350.org, humankind is actually capable of reversing the trend and scaling back emissions to a viable 350. But the same old narrative applies: we’re in it together, and only coordinated action and advocacy will lead to a reversal of this upward trend.

Business and industry leaders can do their part by tracking and reporting on air emissions, implementing streamlined environmental management systems, and developing progressive policies to curb emissions.

Is your business considering sustainability or corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting? What will it be: CERES? GRI? CDP? FRP? A4S? WBCSD? Or IIRC?

Phew. That’s a lot of acronyms for what’s really a simple premise: reporting on sustainability and CSR data to stakeholders and the public at large. The above organizations are all associated with voluntary reporting frameworks that organizations can use to standardize sustainability and CSR reporting. While the frameworks differ in scope, to sort out any potential confusion, here’s a quick rundown of each:

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP): Based in the UK, CDP brings together investors and works with large corporations around the world to develop effective carbon reduction strategies and disclose greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data. Less a sustainability/CSR reporting framework than an emissions reporting organization, CDP’s scope is nonetheless broad: it publishes emissions data accounting for more than a quarter of global air emissions associated with human activity.
Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES): Founded in 1989 by a group of investors seeking to integrate sustainability into capital markets, CERES itself is not as focused on reporting and disclosure as it is on encouraging sustainability reporting. However, the organization has birthed a reporting framework known as GRI (see below).
Ceres and Tellus Institute Facility Reporting Project (FRP): Another CERES-based reporting framework, FRP is focused squarely on providing a generally accepted framework for facility- and site-specific environmental and social sustainability reporting.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD): This CEO-led association of companies pushes business to incorporate sustainable development into all business decisions. WBCSD is primarily concerned with advocacy and policy development, but asks members to report on environmental performance and urges them to “aspire” towards economic and social reporting.
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): Formed in 1998 by CERES, GRI has become the standard-bearer on how organizations report on environmental, social and economic performance. Over 1,500 global organizations report in accordance with G3 guidelines (the most recent iteration of the GRI reporting framework).
The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Framework (A4S): Spearheaded by none other than Prince Charles, A4S brings advisory and accounting bodies as well as NGOs together to embed sustainability into decision-making and reporting processes.
International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC): This is the big one. Announced only earlier this month, IIRC is poised to become the everything-to-everyone reporting framework. IIRC is a collaborative project between GRI and A4S and essentially covers all bases: environmental, social, financial, governance—everything! If widely adopted, and if integrated reporting becomes popular enough, IIRC might erase the need for other reporting frameworks.

For the forward-thinking organization, IIRC is probably the best route. However, if you’re just beginning to consider sustainability and CSR reporting and don’t want to worry about stringent framework requirements yet, start by capturing, tracking, and reporting on environmental data and essential sustainability metrics. It’s a simple start that will make the leap to full-fledged reporting easier in the long run.

If you have a U.S. government contract and don't track your air emissions, get ready for a wake-up call: The Obama administration is set to kill deals with any

 contractors that don't track their emissions.

This is pretty huge. The federal government relies on well over half a million contractors across the country. According to a Federal Times report, fewer than 400 of those organizations (less than one per cent) report on GHG emissions in any form. 

Though this new requirement is not set to take effect till 2011 or 2012, the feds are already starting to take stock of who is reporting and who is not. Companies that already report (or immediately start to report) GHG emissions will have a much better chance of landing government contracts. Further, if you track your emissions throughout your entire supply chain and across third-party vendors, you will boost your chances of getting the attention of the federal government. 

Daunted? Don't be. Tracking emissions statistics can be a relatively straightforward process. However, if you want to get noticed and increase your chances of landing lucrative contracts, now's the time to start implementing software solutions to track emissions across your entire organization and supply chain. Alternatively, take your commitment to environment responsibility a step further by implementing a complete sustainability management program by tracking sustainability metrics and communicating sustainability performance to stakeholders.

Having a damaging effect on the ozone layer, refrigerant gasses are part of a class of substances called ozone-depleting chemicals (ODC) which need to be controlled to eliminate their dispersion into the atmosphere. As many areas of industry rely heavily on refrigerants as part of their business processes, a need has been created to carefully address the control and release of these substances. One regulatory attempt at this is the EPA’s U.S. Clean Air Act (CAA), which is a congressional law that explains the EPA’s task in protecting air quality and the ozone layer. Section 608 of this law deals specifically with refrigerants and speaks to those using them in industrial and commercial applications.

CAA Section 608
Requires owners or operators of systems containing 50 pounds of refrigerant gas or more to maintain detailed service records, ensure that the leak rate does not exceed 15% for comfort cooling equipment or 35% for commercial refrigeration & industrial process refrigeration equipment and to take corrective actions when necessary.

Along with the current refrigerant regulations it can be speculated that future EPA mandatory rules will continue to include the reporting of refrigerants due to their high global warming potential, it is for this reason that Intelex has developed the Refrigerant Management System, to help organizations comply with these rules and curb the impact on the ozone layer that these gasses cause.

The Intelex Refrigerant Management System (RMS)
Provides an easy and complete solution for tracking and reporting refrigerant usage, leaks, tests, repairs, purchases and disposal while ensuring compliance with refrigerant regulations including EPA 608.

Enabling complete refrigerant lifecycle management, the Intelex RMS allows you to easily manage your inventory usage from purchase through to disposal in real-time. It simplifies and streamlines compliance sending automated notifications for above standard leak-rates and the associated equipment repair tasks. Consolidating all data into one central repository, Intelex’s web-based platform facilitates corporate-wide performance reporting, trending and analysis of all refrigerant related data.

Speaking on the issue the issue, Laura Scott, Environmental Specialist at leading energy provider NRG commented, “Organizations and facilities have been able to adequately track and monitor refrigerant with simple reporting tools for some time. The increase in reporting requirements and integration of data makes it necessary to incorporate management systems, such as Intelex, to track refrigerant at the facility level and report up to the corporate level to consolidate data. It is important to have your organization positioned to maintain compliance and meet reporting requirements.”

The Intelex RMS stores, tracks and reports on the following data types:

• Technician Certification & Training Records
• Equipment Service Records
• Refrigerant Purchases
• Disposal Records
• Usage & Recovery Logs
• Accidental Release Logs
• Leak Rates
• Verification Test Results
• Refrigerant Equipment
• Refrigerant Types by Equipment 
  
  Learn More about the Intelex Refrigerant Management System or request a Live Demo today.
  

This Saturday, hundreds of millions of people around the globe will observe Earth Hour by turning off their lights for one hour beginning at 8:30pm local time. Families, offices, businesses, and cities will join together to conserve energy and show their united support for environmental awareness and responsibility.

On March 27 at 5:30pm, Torontonians and friends will gather at Yonge-Dundas Square for an evening of fun-filled, family-friendly activities including arts & crafts, face painters, street performers, and more! There will be Earth Hour Wishing Trees, where people can share their personal wishes for the Earth and pledges for personal contributions to change. The event includes a free concert with performances by R&B artist Jarvis Church and singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk.

If joining thousands on the street isn't your thing, there are countless other ways to enjoy a technology-free evening with friends, family, or on your own. Maybe you'll simply turn off all but one lamp and flip though a magazine, or have some friends over to play board games. You might enjoy a candle-lit dinner with your partner or head to an area where you can view the city unplug from afar.

If, like so many others, you would love to make every hour Earth Hour, here are 10 easy ways you can start:

1. Leave the car at home 2. Eat local 3. Fly less 4. Be energy efficient 5. Use green power 6. Get a home energy audit - and act on it! 7. Hang dry your clothes 8. Work from home 9. Unplug unused appliances 10. Tell your local official Read more about making every hour Earth Hour.

Toronto's Skyline

In 2009 the city of Toronto saw a decrease of 15.1% of electricity during Earth Hour, up from 8.7% in 2008. I'm sure this year we'll see an even bigger decrease. Imagine if we did this more than once a year.

Join the movement and check out what events are happening in your city at www.earthhour.org.

Greener World Media, Inc. (www.greenbiz.com) has published its annual State of Green Business report, which measures the environmental impacts of the green economy. The report provides a recap of 2009's top green stories and looks at 20 measures of environmental performance in the U.S. including carbon transparency, corporate reporting, energy efficiency, GHG commitments, green office space, cleantech investments, toxics in manufacturing, and green power. The 20 topics have been given one of three distinctions: swimming (where companies are making progress), treading (where they're standing still), and sinking (where they're falling behind).

In the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), some thought the slowing economy would have a negative effect on budgets, and therefore, corporate reporting but it seems the opposite holds true. According to the report, "the financial crisis created more pressure from stakeholders, customers and investors for companies to increase transparency and close the non-financial information disclosure gap." While this can be interpreted as somewhat of an achievement, overall, the report finds U.S. companies are at a standstill when it comes to corporate reporting.

Areas where U.S. companies are swimming - clean-energy patents, energy efficiency, green IT and office space, paper use and recycling, and water use.

Although green business may be progressing slowly, it is definitely moving forward. Organizations big and small are taking steps to ensure they are being environmentally responsible, not only in preparation for tougher legislation but also due to the growing consumer interest in corporate sustainability and social responsibility initiatives.

Are you looking for solutions to support your company's environmental initiatives? Learn more about how Intelex can help you with all of your environmental software needs.

To download the State of Green Business 2010 report, visit GreenBiz.com.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently proposed a new GHG emissions program designed to further regulate the amount of greenhouse gas produced in the US. The proposed Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule would require large facilities to obtain operating permits for their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Large facilities are defined as those emitting more than 25,000 tons per year CO2e. According to the EPA these large facilities make up nearly 70% of US GHG emissions. Additionally newly constructed facilities and significantly modified facilities would be required to use the best available control technology to minimize GHG emissions under the proposed rule.

Under Title V, the EPA is proposing an applicability threshold of 25,000 tons per year (tpy) CO2e for existing facilities. Facilities with emissions of less than 25,000 tpy CO2e would not be required to obtain an operating permit.

Under Prevention of Significant Deterioration, a program designed to minimize emissions from new or modified sources, the major stationary source threshold is 25,000 tpy CO2e. This is the threshold used to determine if a new facility or a major modification to an existing facility would require a PSD permit. The significance threshold is set at 10,000 to 25,000 tpy CO2e.  A PSD permit would be required if an existing facility makes modifications that increase emissions inside the range set.

The proposed rule includes the six main greenhouse gases; carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).  If the proposed rule is adopted, the rule would take effect in the spring of 2010. 

*Jonna McConaughy is Intelex's Air Emissions Specialist and is based out of Intelex's satellite location in Pittsburgh PA

The Envinronmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its new mandatory GHG reporting program will commence on January 1st 2010 with reports being due in 2011. The new mandatory GHG rule from the EPA brings some changes from the originally proposed rule.   Some of the changes are outlined below.

INDUSTRIES INCLUDED
Excluded from reporting are the following industries:

Electronics manufacturing Ethanol production Fluorinated GHG production Food processing Industrial landfills Magnesium production Oil and natural gas systems SF6 from electrical equipment Underground coal mines Wastewater treatment Suppliers of coal

Industries required to report include those facilities emitting more than 25,000 metric tons CO2e per year.  These industries may include fossil fuel and natural gas suppliers, vehicle and engine makers (excluding light duty vehicles/engines), cement manufacturers, paper manufacturers, chemical manufacturers and others.

MONITORING OR BEST AVAILABLE DATA
Best available data may be used for Q1 2010 in lieu of required monitoring. Extensions for use of best available data may be requested within the year 2010 but not beyond this time.

QUALITY ASSURANCE
Calibration requirements for flow meters and monitors were added.  Accuracy to 5% is specified.

REPORT SUBMITTALS
The mandatory rule specifies reports are to be submitted to the EPA. Data collection was not delegated to the states.
The EPA is working to update the consolidated emissions reporting schema (CERS), the data schema used in submittals of Emission Inventories, to include GHG data.  This standardized data format will assist in data exchange between federal, state, and local agencies as well as other GHG registries and protocols.
Reports may be submitted in an XML format via web based system that is currently under construction.

DATA RETENTION
Records must be kept for 3 years under the mandatory rule.  This is down from 5 years in the proposed rule.

END OF REPORTING
Should a facility reduce their GHG emissions under the 25,000 tons CO2e per year limit for 5 consecutive years, they may cease annual GHG reporting to the EPA.  Should a facility reduce their GHG emissions under 15,000 metric tons CO2e per year for 3 consecutive years, they may cease to report GHG emissions.  Should a facility cease GHG emitting activities or shut down completely, reporting is not required.

 *Jonna McConaughy is Intelex's Air Emissions Specialist and is based out of Intelex's satellite location in Pittsburgh PA

As announced in a press release on August 19th 2009, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has recently been established between two of the major players in the Canadian standards and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions industries. Leading Canadian standards-based solutions organization, CSA Standards, and the leading North American GHG registry, The Climate Registry, have come together through the MoU to more closely align the two organizations in regards to supporting a consistent GHG measurement and reporting culture in Canada. The partnership solidifies the collaboration between the two organizations to promote the voluntary reporting of GHG emissions to The Climate Registry as well as the adoption of The Climate Registry’s platform for mandatory reporting among Canadian jurisdictions. The MoU also strives to improve upon and create new training opportunities and capacity building programs related to The Climate Registry as well as for general GHG accounting, verification, reporting and tracking.

With over 340 members, The Climate Registry currently operates the foremost North American voluntary GHG registry holding a unique relationship with the 12 Canadian provinces and territories as well as the 41 states that all sit on their board of directors. The Climate Registry, by setting consistent and transparent standards for calculating, verifying and publicly reporting GHG emissions, plays an active role in supporting mandatory reporting schemes across North America. On the other side, CSA Standards serves industry, government, consumers and other interested parties in North America and the global marketplace and has been working with Canadian jurisdictions to build components that support GHG reporting, regional emissions trading systems, and program performance tracking.

Speaking on the newly established MoU, Suzanne Kiraly, president of CSA Standards commented, “This MoU highlights CSA Standards and The Climate Registry’s mutual purpose and common goal of building standardized methods for measuring and tracking GHG emissions. Continued collaboration between our two organizations will serve to further these efforts and, in turn, benefit various organizations, including government and industries.”  Alex Carr, Canadian Regional Director of The Climate Registry, also sees the benefit that the MoU will bring to both government and industry stating that, “By working together with CSA, we can better support Canadian governments and industry as climate policy continues to evolve and capturing high quality GHG emissions data becomes even more important – both to regulators and to companies wanting to manage their risks, improve energy efficiency, and demonstrate their leadership.” The establishment of this MoU is a positive sign that the standardization of GHG emissions reporting in Canada is moving closer to becoming a reality, ultimately creating a reporting climate where ingenuity and continuous improvement are held as key drivers.

Web-based Environmental Management Systems such as the one offered by Intelex provide a platform to track and report GHG emissions data across an entire organization in real-time, providing a 360 degree view of emissions performance fostering regulatory compliance as well as driving continual improvement.

As we move more and more towards an increasingly eco-conscious and environmentally friendly society, progressively steps are being taken by governments, officials and regulatory bodies to help facilitate this transition at a national level both efficiently and effectively. One such area that has received particular attention is the industrial sector; this is ultimately due to the amounts of emissions released into our atmosphere from industrial and manufacturing sites which can be linked to the effects of global warming. Mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by organizations operating in the industrial sector is an initiative that has already been explored and adopted in Canada and in the state of California, but a recent article posted on environmental-expert.com reveals the details of a newly proposed national emissions reporting system in the US that if passed will prove to be a large step forward for the green movement.

The article, entitled “EPA Releases Proposed Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule,” outlines how the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a comprehensive national system for reporting greenhouse gas emissions under the authority of the Clean Air Act. Originally published in the Federal Register (the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations in the US), the new rule would require industrial facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of carbon dioxide equivalent (C02e) to submit an annual emissions report to the EPA beginning in 2011 for the year 2010. Smaller businesses that generate less than 25,000 tons of C02e annually will not be required to submit a report. With the main goal of this new initiative to harvest accurate and comprehensive data, the EPA plans to use the figures generated to inform future policy decisions. Although this newly proposed rule would see many US organizations having to generate emissions reports for the first time, in Canada and the state of California this is nothing new. Canada’s Turning the Corner, a regulatory framework for industrial greenhouse gas emissions announced in April of 2007, requires Canadian industrial companies to submit annual reports with the goal of reducing emissions 18% from their 2006 levels by the year 2010. In California, 2009 marks the first year of required emissions reporting under California’s groundbreaking Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32), part of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. The Act’s goal is an emissions reduction of 25% over the 30 year period from 1990 to 2020, and then in 2050 a reduction to 80% below 1990 levels. This newly proposed rule is keeping with the recent trend of creating a culture of corporate transparency, in which the barriers restricting access to once undisclosed information are being brought down to increase visibility into organizations operations  and encourage a higher level of corporate social responsibility.

One particular challenge that comes along with emissions reporting is tracking and recording an accurate set of data. As the article mentions, “Verification will be an important element of the requirements. The reporting organization will self-certify the emissions data and other specified activity data and submit the inventory report to the EPA for quality assurance verification.” The EPA has estimated the average cost of reporting emissions under the newly proposed rule to be approximately $0.04 per metric ton. With organizations responsible for self-certifying their own emissions data, a cost friendly and effective reporting system is crucial to finding success within these new regulations. Web based emissions tracking solutions like the one offered by Intelex Technologies have been implemented by many organizations to handle their emissions reporting due to their cost-effectiveness , ability to track across multiple locations and their overall ease of use and implementation. With more and more green initiatives being proposed and passed it is clear that the future of the industrial sector will no doubt continue to follow the trend of corporate transparency, ultimately fostering sustainability and industry growth in a period of economic downturn.