Solutions - Reducing Climate Impacts

In addition to reducing climate impacts associated with paper use, greenhouse gas emissions can be further reduced by:

• reducing office energy consumption
• reducing emissions associated with travel and transportation
• purchasing renewable energy
• and offsetting all or a portion of greenhouse gas emissions that are released.

For in-depth information about reducing climate impacts, see the toolkit for reducing climate impacts.

Reducing Office Energy Use

• Use energy efficient lighting including compact florescent bulbs and efficient T5 or T8 florescent lighting
• Utilize timers or motion sensors so that lights are not on when no one is in the room
• Make the most of natural light and task lifting, and remove unnecessary fixtures
• Adjust the thermostat to 65oF in the winter and 76 oF in the summer
• When purchasing new appliances and office equipment, look for the energy star logo
• Set computers and other office equipment to go into power saving modes when not in use

For addition information about reducing energy use in the office see the fact sheet on energy conservation and reducing climate impacts associated with office energy consumption.

Reducing Travel/Transportation Emissions

• Utilize technology/software that can eliminate the need to travel for meetings
• Develop cost saving strategies that will reduce overproduction and returns
• Provide incentives to encourage employees to use public transportation and walk or ride a bike to work.

Purchasing Renewable Energy

• When energy is produced from wind, solar power, or other renewable resources, renewable energy credits (RECs) are also generated.
• If you purchase RECs there is no guarantee that that the electricity you receive was generated from renewable resources, however, your purchase supports the production of renewable energy, and you can claim the environmental benefits associated with the RECs you purchased.
• Many utilities allow you to purchase RECs directly, or you can purchase them through a third party. Green-e is an independent non-profit that certifies RECs. For a list of Green-e certified RECs visit http://www.green-e.org/base/re_products?cust=b#res

Offsetting Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• When an individual, company, or organization offsets greenhouse gas emissions, they pay for the mitigation or reduction of greenhouse gases somewhere else to negate the impacts on climate change of an equivalent quantity of their own greenhouse gas emissions.
• When purchasing offsets it is important to consider both the reputation of the company/organization providing the offsets, and the mechanism by which the offsets are achieved.
• One important consideration when purchasing offsets is the idea of additionally—that the purchase of your offset results in a reduction of greenhouse gases that is in addition to what would have happened anyway.
• For a detailed description of additionally and greenhouse gas offsets visit http://www.nativeenergy.com/pages/additionality/38.php
• Many offsets are generated by planting trees. This is a practice that has become increasingly controversial in recent years for several reasons. In some cases the term “reforestation” is used to describe the establishment of monoculture tree farms which do not support the biodiversity of a natural forest, or otherwise function like one. Furthermore, if the trees that are planted are cleared, or burned in the future, the carbon they store will be released back to the atmosphere. There is also strong evidence that planting new trees will not have the same benefits to the climate as leaving an existing forest standing.