The GHG emissions are going in the right direction , downward . Mount Auburn ’ s annual carbon footprint ( total GHG emissions ) was 792 mtCO2e for FY2021 . When deducting the amount of renewable energy certificates ( RECs ), the Net GHG is 673.11 mtCO2e , a 28 % reduction compared with the FY2010 gross baseline emissions of 935.37 mtCO2e .
The trend line generated to compare one year to a previous year , shows a negative 1.64 % downward trend . This downward trend indicates Mount Auburn ’ s carbon footprint is getting smaller .
These two pie charts compare FY2010 with FY2021 . They indicate building heat has increased by 5 percentage points of the overall total GHG emissions even though the actual amount is lower . During the period between 2010 and 2021 , Mount Auburn constructed a new greenhouse allowing for some expansion to Mount Auburn ’ s plant propagation program and added square footage associated with the updated crematory at the Bigelow / Crematory complex .
Figure 2 - The overall story is good . Greenhouse gas emissions have gone down over the past twelve ( 12 ) years , but we need to do much more . Taking a deeper dive into the data will inform future strategies to achieve greater reductions .
It is helpful to look at each category by itself . The trends for each category help inform future course corrections to ensure the targets are reached . The following sections review the emissions for each piece of the pie : mobile , cremations , heating for buildings and electricity use .
Mount Auburn Cemetery | Climate Action & Sustainability Plan 9