Climate Action Reserve Approved to Register Offset Projects for California’s Cap-and-Trade Program

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Climate Action Reserve, the nation’s premier carbon offset registry, earned approval from the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to serve the state’s groundbreaking Cap-and-Trade Program as an Offset Project Registry. As an approved registry, the Reserve is officially approved to issue registry offset credits under ARB compliance offset protocols that may then be transitioned into ARB compliance offset credits and used under the state Cap-and-Trade Program. With extensive experience and expertise in administering carbon offset projects under similar voluntary protocols it developed, the Climate Action Reserve is well-prepared and well-qualified to advance the environmental integrity, efficiency and effectiveness of California’s compliance offset program.

“ARB’s authorization of the Reserve as an official offset registry marks an important step in the development of California’s compliance offset program,” said Governor Gray Davis, who in 2001 signed into California state law the enabling legislation to create the Reserve’s legacy program. “The Reserve has long served the voluntary carbon market as a trusted offset program that achieves real, immediate and cost-effective solutions to curb emissions. They will bring the same rigor, transparency and integrity to build confidence and trust in the California carbon market.”

ARB’s four compliance offset protocols, which were adapted from Reserve standards, provide regulatory standards for emissions reductions in forests, urban forests, ozone depleting substances and livestock methane projects from throughout the United States. Regulated facilities under California’s Cap-and-Trade Program may use ARB-issued compliance offset credits from emissions reduction projects to meet up to eight percent of their total reported emissions.

“As the first and only offset registry whose standards have been adopted by the ARB, the Climate Action Reserve is uniquely suited to support California’s compliance offset program,” stated Linda Adams, Chair of the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors. “Since its inception the Reserve has established market confidence in the quality of its protocols and offsets, and has allowed the public to see the real environmental benefit from offset projects.”

The Reserve began informally accepting submissions for GHG emissions reduction projects under ARB’s offset protocols while it underwent the application process to become an approved registry. The Reserve supports registration of projects by reviewing project documents, providing guidance to offset project operators and providing supplemental oversight to independent verification bodies in addition to ARB’s oversight. With its years of experience in administering the original protocols, the Reserve has the technical expertise and the sound judgment to minimize risk associated with offset projects.

The first project listed with the Reserve using an ARB compliance offset protocol is the Dairyland Digester livestock project. Dairy operations release methane, a greenhouse gas that is 20 times more powerful at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. The ARB Livestock Protocol provides regulatory standards for the installation of a manure biogas control system that collects and destroys methane gas.

Meet Max DuBuisson, Senior Policy Manager

1. What drives your environmental work and activism?

My environmental interests were shaped by growing up in North Carolina, where nature was very accessible, and being involved in the Quaker community, which generally places great value on the natural world. Plus, science was really the only subject in school that could keep my attention. I do not really consider myself an activist, but rather more of a pragmatist. Our economy is not constructed in a way that values the natural world, and I would like to help change that.

2. What was one of your most exciting and rewarding achievements?

Riding a bicycle without training wheels.

3. Who is your hero (or someone you admire greatly)?

As I child my heroes were always my summer camp counselors. I think that’s still a pretty good answer.

4. What are your favorite and frequently visited websites, and why?

The LA Times, to keep up with the news, local and otherwise, and Engadget, to keep up with nerdy stuff. For my really local news, I go to the Daily Breeze. And, of course, https://thereserve2.apx.com/, to stay informed on domestic carbon offset projects.

5. What was your most recent “That oughta be a law!” thought?

Lawmakers should have to simplify or remove an existing law for every new law that they want to introduce. There should also be term limits on all politicians; it should not be a lifelong career option.

6. What is a tip you’d like to share for leading a more sustainable life?

Small, personal changes are helpful, but so are big shifts. As a customer/client/constituent/investor/etc., use your voice to push for companies and lawmakers to adopt changes that can make a significant difference. We need activists on the outside with signs and slogans, but we also need activists on the inside who can create a culture of sustainability.

7. Please share a personal story that ties in with one of the Reserve’s protocol sectors.

Our first forest project outside of California is on the Alligator River in NC. When I was about 13, my family was on a weekend sailing trip down the NC coast, and ended up marooned in the middle of the Alligator River for four to six hours until someone could come free the boat and tow us to a marina. As far as I know, there are not actually any alligators there, but it’s still not a pleasant place to be stuck at night.

8. If you could spend one week in a natural area in the U.S., where would it be?

Rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park (in the fall).

9. What is an environmental book that you think should be required reading in schools?

An ecology text book.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Every time I go back to NC, I have to get a pulled pork sandwich and hush puppies, as soon as possible. Nobody in CA can make decent NC pulled pork.

11. What is something about you that your professional peers would be surprised to learn?

Prior to my time at the Reserve (4 years now), my longest stretch of professional experience was 3 years selling fancy olive oils and other Mediterranean goodies when I first moved to Los Angeles.

Holiday Open House

The Climate Action Reserve and The Climate Registry cordially invite you and your guests to our Holiday Open House

Tuesday, December 18, 2012
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

601 W. 5th Street, Suite 650
Los Angeles, California 90071
(New office location)

Please join us for good food, drinks and conversation, and tours to The Climate Registry’s office in Suite 220. Special guests include Honorable Fran Pavley, Mary Nichols, Linda Adams, Jeffrey Kightlinger and other distinguished leaders. Special thanks to Bentley Prince Street for its carpet donation for our new office space.

In the spirit of the holiday season, we are accepting non-perishable food donations for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Items in most need include: rice, beans, peanut butter, canned meats, canned fruits and canned vegetables.

Please RSVP for you and your guests by December 11. For building security purposes, guest names are required. If you have any questions, please contact the Reserve at 213.891.1444 or sbadalian@climateactionreserve.org or The Climate Registry at 1-866-523-0764 x3 or info@theclimateregistry.org. We hope to see you on December 18! Happy holidays!

Meet Andrew Craig, Program Assistant

1. What drives your environmental work and activism?

My work is driven by my desire to leave this world in a better state than how I found it. To me that means tackling the biggest man-made threat this planet has ever faced – climate change. Climate change is expected to drastically disrupt the world we live in with the worst effects borne by those least capable of adapting to it. It is our responsibility to be good environmental stewards and ensure future generations are able to enjoy the same natural wonders we have been able to.

2. What was one of your most exciting and rewarding achievements?

A couple years ago I attempted the “3-Peaks Challenge”, an effort to hike the tallest mountain in Scotland, England, and Wales all within a 24-hour period. My friends and I were able to raise over $6,000 for ShelterBox – a charity which sends immediate relief aid to victims of natural disasters.

3. Who is your hero (or someone you admire greatly)?

One person I have come to greatly admire is Bear Grylls who is most famous for his TV show, “Man vs. Wild”. I admire him if nothing else but for the fact that he climbed mount Everest less than 2 years after breaking his back from surviving a skydiving accident in Africa – all before he was 24 years old. How many people can say that?!

Another personal hero of mine is NFL quarterback Tim Tebow. I am amazed by how often he has been able to prove his critics wrong and be able to succeed at every given opportunity. He has a willingness to never give up and has demonstrated himself to be selfless person both on and off the field.

4. What are your favorite and frequently visited websites?

I am a big sports fan so I find myself checking espn and nfl.com to keep up with all the latest sports news. I also enjoy finding good deals on craigslist and ebay.

5. What is a tip you’d like to share for leading a more sustainable life?

In some areas of the country, transportation emissions account for the greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions. As an alternative to driving, taking public transportation is often more convenient, safer, and cheaper than driving your own car. I try to take public transport at every opportunity, or otherwise look for ways to carpool with others.

6. What is your opinion of the Obama administration’s environmental record?

I’m disappointed more was not done during Obama’s first term to address the need for a national carbon trading program. However, I am optimistic that California will create a roadmap for what a successful system should look like that might later inform the foundation of a federal program.

7. If you could spend one week in a natural area in the U.S., where would it be?

I have been to many of the U.S. national parks but so far I’ve missed out on arguably the most magnificent of them all – Yellowstone National Park. It was the first to be established and I have heard great things from friends of mine who have gone camping, hiking, and fishing in one of the most beautiful areas in the whole country.

8. What is an environmental book that you think should be required reading in schools?

Eaarth by Bill McKibben. The reason for the unusual spelling in the title is to convey the author’s message that the planet is recognizable, yet not the same as it once was as a result of human influence on the environment. However, the book provides a great deal of hope and logical steps towards correcting this problem with technologies currently available to us today.

9. What is your favorite meal?

I like all sorts of food – Thai, Mexican, Indian, even haggis! I will try just about anything once. But if I have to choose, nothing beats a good steak dinner!

10. What is something about you that your professional peers would be surprised to learn?

I used to drive an SUV that got 15 miles to the gallon *GASP!*

Forest Project Protocol Version 3.3 Now Available

Public comment period open for draft U.S. Livestock Project Protocol Version 4.0 – comments due December 13

Meet Mark Havel, Program Associate

1. What drives your environmental work and activism?

33 percent interest in science, 33 percent appreciation of nature, 33 percent sense of responsibility, and 1 percent crippling desire to seem cool and interesting.

2. What was one of your most exciting and rewarding achievements?

I got a job at the Climate Action Reserve. Gary reads these, right?

3. Who is your hero?

Anyone who values ecosystem services and therefore considers environmental impacts when making decisions.

4. What are your favorite and frequently visited websites?

The total number is embarrassing, so here are a few highlights. I visit the Times and the BBC sites for news, CleanTechnica and Climate Progress for my climate change and alternative energy fix, and Serious Eats because food is great.

5. What was your most recent “That oughta be a law!” thought?

I probably think about national marriage equality (pro) and creationism in schools (anti) every day. Those seem like pretty easy laws to me.

6. What is a tip you’d like to share for leading a more sustainable life?

I think the first general step is moving away from an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality and considering the entire life cycle of the goods you consume. It’s a little tedious at first, but over time it’ll become second nature.

7. Please share a personal story that ties in with one of the Reserve’s protocol sectors

I had a great time composting my recycled refrigerator in a coal mine under a forest full of dairy cows last week. Sorry, I haven’t been on any oversights, so I got nothing. Can we get rid of this question?

8. What is your opinion of the Obama administration’s environmental record?

Not bad*, but should be better (*meme reference). It’s understandably difficult to crack down on corporate carbon emissions when the economy is in dire straits, and the new fuel efficiency standards are a pretty big deal. Still, there should have been a bigger effort to move the topic of climate change from political talking point to significant concern in the public sphere.

9. If you could spend one week in a natural area in the U.S., where would it be?

Hawaii. Nah, too easy. I’d say it’s a toss-up between the Great Basin Desert in Nevada and the temperate rainforests in Washington.

10. What is an environmental book that you think should be required reading in schools?

Parts of Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas Friedman. The tone is a fairly informal and there are quite a few personal anecdotes, but it hits home on several key issues and, more importantly, it’s inspiring.

11. What is your favorite meal?

Dinner? The truth is that I go through phases of obsession with specific cuisines or dishes, usually based on what’s readily available in the community. When I lived in Houston, it was mostly Texas-style BBQ and Vietnamese. The Bronx was all Italian-American all the time. Living in LA, I will eat Thai street food or Mexican seafood any day of the week.

12. What is something about you that your professional peers would be surprised to learn?

I have a car and a TV. Seriously, Kristen is inexplicably and consistently surprised by that fact.

Check out our November newsletter for upcoming events, protocol updates and recently registered projects

Meet Heather Raven, Policy Coordinator

1. What drives your environmental work and activism?

My passion for severe weather which led me into the climate change path in the first place. My belief that human compassion for the welfare of others will lead people to make the right choices about the environment surrounding them. My belief that personal actions will make a difference in slowing climate change.

2. What was one of your most exciting and rewarding achievements?

It may not sound like a huge accomplishment, but graduating with my master’s degree in Climate & Society from Columbia was not something I had planned on doing: I received notice of the program early in 2006, applied just in the nick of time, and moved to NYC a few months later. It was a whirlwind adventure and exhausting one-year program that brought me to where I am today.

3. Who is your hero (or someone you admire greatly)?

David Suzuki, Canadian scientist and environmentalist, co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. I grew up watching David Suzuki’s television program The Nature of Things which was centered on environmental issues. He was one of the first environment-focused influences in my life and someone I still greatly admire to this day.

4. What are your favorite and frequently visited websites?

Facebook for keeping in touch with friends and family across the globe. National Weather Service (NOAA) because I’m a weather geek and they present the most accurate weather and severe weather updates. Wikipedia, not for official research, but to help answer all those useless trivia questions running through my head; you never know when those tidbits of info will come in handy.

5. What is a tip you’d like to share for leading a more sustainable life?

Don’t buy bottled water. Seriously. It’s no different than your tap water. If you have older pipes then just use a jug filter and keep water in your fridge. The plastic waste from bottles is astounding and unnecessary.

6. Can you share a personal story that ties in with one of the Reserve’s protocol sectors?

Growing up, I was always excited to help my dad take large items and waste to the local landfill and help my mom compost kitchen waste out in the backyard. As a child, the landfill was like a huge depository of other peoples’ lives and I was always fascinated with what was left there and what I would see next. Composting in the backyard was more of a gross fascination with rotting food and how waste broke down and actually could help our gardens. Both experiences (and thanks to my mom and dad!) taught me about how unnecessarily wasteful people can be and yet how some waste can be beneficial. To this day, I’ve recycled, reused, repurposed, and donated items to others as much as possible. I would compost organics, but I don’t think my landlord would approve.

7. If you could spend one week in a natural area in the U.S., where would it be?

The Mojave Desert. Deserts tend to be under-appreciated because the flora and fauna are not as obvious as when trekking through a forest. Learning about desert wildlife and spending more time in the desert has been such a pleasure since I moved to LA. I would love to spend more time exploring the desert and camping in Death Valley…in the late fall or early spring, perhaps.

8. What is your favorite meal?

I love a great plate of loaded nachos or cheese enchiladas, but I think Greek chicken souvlaki, rice, roasted potatoes, dolmades, and tzatziki sauce would beat those other two favorites.

9. What is something about you that your professional peers would be surprised to learn?

I hiked Mt. Whitney in one day, and yes, I bought the t-shirt to prove it. It only took me 21 hours with small breaks. Yeah, not planning to do that again. Physically and mentally exhausting, but yet so rewarding to have done it.

Climate Action Offsetter: NativeEnergy Leads the way with Reserve Offsets

written by NativeEnergy

When NativeEnergy signed on as the Offset Partner for the 2012 Climate Leadership Conference, we knew that we would need to use credible, high-quality offsets to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the conference. We selected carbon offsets from a project verified to the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) U.S. Landfill Gas Protocol.

The consortium that puts on the conference – the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), The Climate Registry, and the U.S. EPA – are among the most prominent organizations in the United States addressing climate change. Given the stature of the consortium partners, you can imagine the emphasis they placed upon have offsets with “integrity, transparency, and . . . value,” qualities that CAR highlights. Ultimately, we selected a landfill gas offset project from Casella’s Clinton County, NY. This small, voluntary, community project fit the bill admirably.

The role of a conference offset partner can vary. Some conference producers simply offset venue operations, which are a relatively small part of the footprint—typically less than 10 metric tons. For the Climate Leadership Conference, we offset the venue and activities there, hotel stays for conference attendees, plus air and local travel. That footprint was approximately 219 tons, a substantial difference from simply offsetting venue operations. We also wanted to work with the partners to tell the story in a manner that would resonate with attendees. Using the same approach we took with ACCO at their Climate Change Leadership Summit in 2011, we developed materials with the headline “Who let the herd of bull elephants into the room.” The pachyderms vividly conveyed the footprint related to producing the event.

As we know, you can’t be a 21^st-century institution and not have a carbon footprint. Add carbon footprints to death and taxes as an inevitable consequence of being.

The institutions we engage with—businesses, non-profit organizations, and events—are all thoughtful and deliberate actors. They are energy-efficient. They support renewable electric generation. They reduce waste; better still, they turn waste into raw material. Still, they have a footprint. Hence the role of carbon offsets. The projects we’ve brought to market—often verified to CAR standards—have provided an important resource to these institutions.

CAR’s work supports the development of credible projects that result in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over and above business as usual. For a dozen years now, NativeEnergy has been working with responsible entities across the country to turn on new projects that mitigate climate change. In the aftermath of heat, drought, and humongous storms, our work and CAR’s have never been more important.

About NativeEnergy

NativeEnergy is an expert provider of carbon offsets, renewable energy credits, and carbon accounting software. With NativeEnergy’s Help Build™ offsets, businesses and individuals can help finance the construction of wind, biogas, solar, and other carbon reduction projects with strong social and environmental benefits. Since 2000, NativeEnergy’s customers have helped build over 50 projects, reducing more than 2.5 million tons of greenhouse gases, and the company has over 4 million tons under contract. All NativeEnergy carbon offsets undergo third-party validation and verification. Learn more at www.nativeenergy.com.