Reducing Corporate Impacts: ABR’s Carbon Accounting and Conservation Practices

There is a growing consensus among world scientists and business leaders that reducing the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4)—two greenhouse gases that are the primary drivers of global warming—is critical to improving our planet’s health.  Recognizing that our use of fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases, ABR is assessing ways to quantify, characterize, and, hopefully, reduce the negative effects of emissions created by our company’s operations.  We call our assessment, carbon accounting.

First, we quantify all sources and amounts of fossil fuels that we use in our
business operations: electricity, heating fuel, gasoline, propane, commercial air travel, and air charters.  Next we convert these units of fossil fuel used into units
of CO2 (tons).  (Numerous resources are available to assist with an assessment [www.climatetrust.org]).  The product is an estimated total annual CO2 output that can be valued (cost per ton) and is our carbon footprint.

The next step in carbon accounting is trying to reduce our impacts by limiting certain activities and/or trying to mitigate —i.e., balance the books and pay for the carbon we’ve produced.  Some of the ways we have done that include

• Donating to forest restoration programs (storing CO2);
• Building and retrofitting our offices to be more energy efficient (from appliances to insulation);
• Supporting green power sources by purchasing “green tags” (reducing CO2 from oil, gas, and coal source [http://www.nativeenergy.com/ ]); and
• Helping develop a pilot solar project at a local middle school (see discussion on page 4 of our Winter 2002 newsletter).

Employee Incentives

ABR recognizes that if we could influence the energy use of our extended family of over 60 employees and their families, we could substantially reduce our carbon footprint. To that end, we offer a number of incentives to employees to reduce their own carbon footprints. 

Alternative Transportation Support

ABR provides $3.50/day for any employee that avoids using hydrocarbons to get to work (an exception is made for public transportation).  Since its inception in 1987, employees have walked, biked, skied, and even dog-sledded (in Alaska) to our offices.  In addition, employees who carpool can share the $3.50/day. Roughly, 40% of our employees engage in this program.

Hybrid Rebate

Because travel is such an important component of every American’s carbon footprint, ABR has promoted hybrid automobile technology.  We purchased hybrids for each of our offices, but more important, we offer employees a $1,500 subsidy toward their purchase of a Hybrid vehicle, whose EPA ratings exceed 45 mpg. So far, 7 employees have taken advantage of this incentive.

Our carbon accounting program is in its infancy, but the bottom line is that we will make greater efforts to reduce the impacts of our own energy use on the rate of Global Change.  We consider this effort a challenging but inherent corporate responsibility.  Read more about what ABR and other like-minded companies are doing to reduce their carbon footprints at http://www.hybridcars.com/corporate-incentives.html