by Melissa Andrews, LEED GA
Using the program’s self-certification checklist, businesses in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey can take steps to minimize their total environmental footprint. Businesses are required to update their checklist every year, and are encouraged to complete more measures over time. By doing so, participants will be able to reduce their consumption of water, electricity, and paper products, dispose of less waste, and save money. Implementing a policy to turn off office lights when leaving for more than 15 minutes is one such measure. Another entails certifying the workplace under the LEED® for Commercial InteriorsTM rating system.
The checklist, available at http://www.phillygreenbiz.com, is divided into six categories: Energy, Operations & Procurement, Transportation, Waste Reduction & Recycling, and Water Management. An internal team at each business is responsible for managing the certification, which includes completing seven mandatory measures and a minimum of 20 additional measures to achieve Basic membership. We tracked our CO2 emissions each year by monitoring, among other things, the amount of electricity our office uses and how many miles our team commutes. Once completed, we were then able to evaluate the findings and compare our 2010 numbers with our findings from 2009.
By using O’Brien and Gere’s Philadelphia Green Business Commitment Greenhouse Gas Calculator, which considers factors including the use of heating and cooling equipment, electricity use, commuting and business travel, we found an overall decrease in our carbon footprint over the last year. As an office, we produced 28 CO2 equivalent metric tons in 2010, or 1.16 tons per employee, compared with a total of 31 equivalent metric tons in 2009.
According to the Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration’s 2003 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), the average office in the Mid-Atlantic region uses 24 pounds of CO2 equivalent emissions per square foot. In 2010, we used approximately 7.5 pounds per square foot, which was a reduction over our 2009 usage of 9.2 pounds per square foot.
Some highlights of our carbon calculation results:
Our electricity usage equaled 26% of our total carbon footprint, which includes the operation of servers, computers, printers, plotters, lighting, telephones, refrigerators, and A/V equipment. Our purchased electricity in 2010 made up the same percentage of the total office carbon footprint as in 2009; however, we were able to decrease electricity usage in 2010, and as a direct result, we reduced our CO2 consumption by 1.1 tons.
48% of our total carbon footprint came from employee commuting. Even though the majority of our office walks or takes public transportation to work, some drive. In the last year, fewer people used commuter rail or larger vehicles, however, and as a result, our office was able to reduce our commuting carbon consumption by 2.6 tons of CO2.
One small solution that helps reduce commuting emissions is working from home. Several employees take advantage of this one or more days per week, and while this is not always a viable alternative, given the amount of face-to-face interaction that is necessary in the office, it is sometimes feasible.
Another form of commuting, this time in the form of business travel, makes up 19% of our total carbon footprint. Our office traveled 7,342 miles in hybrid cars, which is a 78 percent increase over last year. Continuing to choose hybrid or gas efficient vehicles will further help reduce our carbon footprint for business travel. Because airplanes emit more and do so at a higher altitude—a more vulnerable location—land transit is preferred, especially by public transportation or in a hybrid vehicle.
The carbon calculator does not include all possible office emissions, overlooking the carbon used to transport food, office supplies and mail. Although our office has been successful in reducing carbon consumption, we could further lower our emissions by reducing waste in the office and buying locally.
The Philadelphia Green Business Program has created membership levels for participants. Businesses that achieve 45 percent, 65 percent, or 85 percent of the possible measures are eligible to be Silver, Gold, or Platinum members, respectively. By making their office operations greener, participating businesses can demonstrate within the greater Philadelphia business community that it is possible to generate both personal and environmental profits.
To check out our 2010 calculations, click here
Our self-certification checklist can be found here
Posted in Sustainability