Consultancy
Net Zero means that, globally, emissions of carbon dioxide are balanced – the amount of CO₂ emitted to the atmosphere is balanced by equivalent removals. Net Zero will be achieved on a global scale by significant reductions in emissions, balanced by removals through projects such as forest, grassland, and marine ecosystem protection and restoration, and other long-term carbon removal technologies.
Net Zero is about global and national efforts to deal with carbon emissions and climate change, particularly in light of the Paris Agreement to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Individual organizations need to find their place within the Net Zero conversation, and for most that will mean becoming carbon neutral.
Being carbon neutral means reducing emissions as part of a target-driven carbon management plan, while compensating for the remaining emissions by carbon offsetting. Pursuing carbon neutrality requires ambition and recognizes that the journey towards global Net Zero will take time.
We want to help you on this journey and can provide expert advice and guidance. There are six key steps to become carbon neutral:
We have considerable experience working with local, national, and international organizations to carry out carbon footprint audits. After an initial meeting to agree on exactly what you want to measure, we provide a comprehensive list of data required and will continue to connect with you throughout the audit process. We follow the ISO 14064 standard and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to break down your carbon footprint into Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Our report will provide a clear carbon footprint analysis by activity, including flights, land travel, office energy, food, waste, and other business-related expenditure.
This audit will provide a snapshot of your carbon footprint for a base year (usually the previous calendar or financial year) which should be updated annually to show progress against agreed targets.
Read more about Carbon Footprint Audits.
Our staff are experienced in delivering training workshops and presentations (face to face or online) on climate change, creation care, carbon neutrality, the pathway to Net Zero, and how to measure and reduce your carbon footprint. We can help you to create an action plan with goals for carbon emissions reductions that are appropriate for your organization.
A key step towards embedding climate action in the DNA of your organization is to develop an environmental policy and action plan for year-on-year carbon reductions. The policy should cover topics such as energy and utilities, travel, catering, waste, purchasing, and finances.
A carbon footprint audit will help you understand the sources of your carbon emissions, and where to focus your carbon reduction efforts. Once you know your footprint, we can help you think through the most cost-effective ways to achieve quick wins as a first step towards becoming a carbon neutral organization.
Having made initial reductions, it can become harder to find further carbon reductions in future years and to weigh up the costs and benefits of investing in them. Our partners at LIT Consulting can provide technical advice on these issues.
After reducing as much of your organization’s carbon footprint as you can, there will likely be unavoidable emissions from your work and travel. Carbon offsetting allows you to compensate for the negative impact of your carbon emissions by funding carbon mitigation projects that take an equivalent amount of CO₂ out of the atmosphere. These either involve locking up (‘sequestering’) CO₂ in trees, or reducing emissions by using cleaner technology, such as fuel-efficient cookstoves or water filters.
Unlike most carbon offsetting organizations, we have a direct relationship with all of our projects. Our eight projects are located in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Nepal, and Peru. Each of these is evaluated using our Seal of Approval protocol, which enables us to assess and monitor carbon mitigation and ensure robust, sustainable, and transparent partnerships.
We work closely with our project partners to design, develop, implement, and monitor carbon mitigation outcomes, as well as tangible co-benefits in the local community, including improved health, savings in time and money previously spent on buying or collecting fuel, and improvements in local biodiversity.
We will provide a “Carbon Neutral” certificate for you to share with your constituents. We can also provide graphics and images to illustrate your carbon footprint reduction journey, as well as photos and stories from our projects to explain how your carbon offsetting benefits people and the planet.
Our annual review service helps you keep track of progress against carbon reduction targets.
If you would like to discuss how we can help your organization on the journey to Net Zero, please Get In Touch with us.
Climate Stewards USA is a program of A Rocha USA
A Rocha USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 31-1751509
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Climate Stewards is part of the worldwide
A Rocha family caring for God’s creation
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