Carbon footprint
Assessing the carbon footprint
GLENN HANSEN , CEO OF REDUCE2 . COM , ON CALCULATING CARBON FOOTPRINT OF CORPORATE EVENTS
A s I ponder lessons learned from conducting carbon footprint calculations , I am reminded of Mark Twain ’ s quote , “ Figures don ’ t lie , but liars figure .” I believe that is too strong of a statement , but declaring “ boundaries and scope ” for greenhouse gas reporting allows one to avoid data collection that is too ‘ uncomfortable ’. Uncomfortable perhaps because of what it might reveal , but , more likely , uncomfortable to expend personal energy to collect the right data .
This is the big challenge to carbon calculations . Event planners need to rely on their supply chain to provide specific information and for some it is too hard to do . It ’ s often convenient then to declare something “ out of boundary ”.
Concerning the GHG Protocol for Scope 3 emissions reporting where there are 15 categories for reporting , most organisations are not equipped to collect all the data points required .
The category with the greatest impact is Category 6 – business travel . How do people get from home to the departure airport , from the arrival airport to the venue and then trace those steps back home ? If the organiser provides group ground transportation from the arrival airport to the venue , that part is easy to collect . But how many organisers are providing this ? Home to the airport and back is a challenge . I have not seen any organiser with complete ground transportation data .
Flights can be a challenge if the organising company does not require attendees to use a designated travel booking service where the data is centralised . To conduct the calculation to its fullest , data on legs of flight , class of service , and private vs . commercial aircraft use must all be collected . Yes , data can be estimated on short- , medium- and long-haul flights , but there is not one single solution for this . Different tools will provide different calculations .
Next , throw in ‘ radiative forcing ’. Using this in your calculations could double or quadruple your emissions data . Radiative forcing is the production of contrails by jets at altitude . Contrails reflect up and down . The down effect prevents emissions from escaping thus warming the planet . But scientists cannot agree on precisely what the Radiative Forcing Index ( RFI ) should be . Therefore , the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO ), which offers a free tool to provide the carbon emissions of flight , tells us , “… Carbon Emissions Calculator is limited to the calculation of the CO2 amounts released into the atmosphere by the aircraft engines during a flight .” In my opinion , we should consistently use RFI or not at all .
Category 1 : Purchased Goods and Services . This category includes GHG emissions from purchased goods ( e . g ., F & B , gifts ) and services ( e . g ., venue ).
Some Banquet Event Orders ( BEO ) provide very specific information as to the type of food consumed . Vegetarian , fish , or vegan meals have a lower emissions factor compared to chicken or beef . With beverages , the unit of measurement is usually the issue . Is the wine reported as 750 ml bottles , or five ounces per glass ( about 150 ml )? Granularity is needed , but it requires forethought by planners to ask for precise counts .
Tons of freight and distance shipped
can generally be provided for staging , AV and other materials . It often requires a follow-up question or two to learn of the mode of transport since each has its own emissions factor .
The more developed venues can provide an energy consumption figure by hour by square foot , including an indication if renewable energy is part of the consumption . However , I have seen some data that includes meeting room space reported as in use for 24 hours because it was ‘ on hold ’, rather than the hours the room was occupied and heated or cooled .
Hotels typically provide data on energy consumption per guest room night .
The remaining challenge is waste . All too often facilities cannot provide weight of waste for a specific event by reuse , recycle , landfill or incineration .
For transport , I envision organisers gathering this information as part of the registration process , probably in an app , and planners must ask for more granular information as part of their RFP-site selection process .
Net Zero Carbon Events initiative is working on a solution , too , with a standard data input tool . n
ISSUE 127 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 15