Carbon Footprint Basics Josh Fleischmann, San Francisco Mechanical Engineer CARBON POLICY A carbon tax would regulate allowable carbon emissions, and thus, impose a tax on emissions over a decided upon maximum. This is also called direct regulation. A cap and trade system would also impose a maximum emission amount, but would allow companies the option of trading emissions from others who pollute less. While they are good financial incentives to reduce emissions, lowering building energy consumption by using efficient equipment, high performance glazing, appropriate insulation and energy from renewable resources will attack the problem at its source. In any event, recent talks of implementing a carbon tax and/or cap and trade system necessitates that engineers, at the very least, become familiar with the new terminology and basic carbon emission calculations. TERMINOLOGY Here are some important terms related to carbon emissions: CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATIONS A push in carbon emissions policy will raise the bar on accountability and increase the need for carbon footprint measurement. Some notable emission sources are: Substantial sources of carbon emission will differ widely from business to business, and as a result, so will the collection of data that make up the footprint. Typically, it is in our best interest to seek out this type of information from local utilities, governmental agencies, and educational communities, with the understanding that each factor carries with it a level of approximation and uncertainty. With continual changes in fuel efficiencies and diversification of utilities, this is to be expected. For now, some good references for getting carbon conversion factors are: It is only a matter of time before a consistent set of conversion factors are developed for standardization purposes, but for now, these governing agencies present the most credible information to start your analysis. WHAT GLUMAC IS DOING At a time where energy is at a premium, the engineering industry will undoubtedly be called upon to help buildings reduce their carbon emissions.
While few state and no federal policies currently regulate carbon emissions, Glumac is committed to taking the lead by calculating our own footprint. By doing this, we will not only achieve more accurate results, but also better understand how we contribute to our carbon footprint and learn what we can do to reduce it. In the past we have used "Climate Change Calculators" to estimate our carbon footprint. In 2006 we donated $15,000 to American Forests, a non-profit reforestation group, to offset our carbon footprint by planting trees. A similar offsetting approach is planned for 2007, and by 2009 all Glumac offices are slated to purchase 100% green power.
Implementing energy efficient design has been central to Glumac engineering, and is a critical issue for our industry as a whole. The building sector alone accounts for approximately 48% of the total U.S. energy consumption. This may significantly contribute to global warming through the emission of carbon dioxide, a direct result of burning fossil fuels for energy.
A publishing company, for instance, might consider the following emission sources: paper from books, shipping, couriers, waste sent to landfills etc., while an engineering company would consider: employee commute, business travel, electricity usage, etc. Below is a sample calculation based on monthly usage of a few common carbon emission sources.
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