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Updated Livestock Calculation Tool V3.0a now available
World Wildlife Fund Senior VP joins Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors
Election of Dr. Jason Clay strengthens the Board’s global environmental perspective and agriculture expertise
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors elected newest member Dr. Jason Clay, Senior Vice President Market Transformation at World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Jason’s work at WWF continues to impact the way global industries, governments, foundations, researchers and NGOs approach environmentally sensitive issues. And, his internationally recognized work in agriculture is expected to have an especially strong impact on future development of the Reserve, which is North America’s largest and fastest growing carbon offset registry.
“The Board was very deliberate and selective in electing a new member to represent environmental NGOs and we are excited and honored that Jason accepted our invitation. His work and accomplishments are globally recognized, and his expertise in agriculture issues – both domestically and internationally – will be a wonderful complement to the expertise we have in our current Board members,” said Linda Adams, Chair of the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors and Founding President of R20.
Jason’s areas of expertise are in corporate social responsibility, agriculture and aquaculture, indigenous people, impact assessments of large-scale development projects and trend analysis. In conducting his work, his goal is to help create global standards for producing and using raw materials, with a focus on carbon and water. His experience on supply chain sustainability with the private sector will be very applicable to the Reserve’s future work exploring how carbon can be incorporated into agricultural commodity markets and in setting standards for greenhouse gas emissions reductions projects.
Prior to joining WWF in 1999, Jason served in a number of roles that all provided strong, relevant experience for his current work. He ran a family farm, taught at Harvard and Yale, served in a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and spent more than 25 years working with human rights and environmental organizations.
“I am thrilled about the opportunity to work with the Climate Action Reserve Board on some of the most pressing global issues of our time,” said Dr. Clay. ”Our finite planet is under increasing pressure, threatening biodiversity and the habitats of the world’s most iconic species. The Climate Action Reserve can play a critical role in generating new, collaborative solutions to reduce the environmental impact that climate change is having on our lives.”
Please visit the Climate Action Reserve website to learn more about the organization and its Board of Directors.
New policy for project diagrams required at verification
Errata and Clarifications released for the Livestock Project Reporting Protocol Version 2.0
Climate Action Offsetter: Sokol Blosser Winery Achieves Carbon Reduction, Works Toward Carbon Restoration
written by Sokol Blosser Winery
In 2007 Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski initiated a challenge to the Oregon wine industry: “Make 20 wineries carbon neutral in 18 months.” As one of the founding wineries in Oregon and a leader in sustainability, Sokol Blosser Winery was one of the first to sign up.
We felt the first step was to better understand Sokol Blosser Winery’s carbon footprint. An initial carbon audit through Ecos Consulting in 2009 let us know where changes needed to be made. We were able to reduce our carbon footprint dramatically through a combination of reducing waste, reducing energy usage, and implementing recovery efforts which include our 25kW solar panel system, native plant riparian zones in the vineyard, and carbon offset purchases.
There are several ways we have invested in renewable energy and carbon offset projects. In 2010, we offset 22 metric tons of carbon through the PGE Clean Wind Program. We also use GreenShipping.com to help us offset the carbon value of shipping wine directly to customers. These offsets include investments in clean energy supported by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF). Essentially, this allows our packages to arrive at a customer’s door with zero carbon footprint from shipping. Also, alongside other participating wineries in the Carbon Neutral Challenge, we have purchased other offsets through BEF in the agriculture sector that have significant climate benefits, such as investments in a dairy methane digester project registered with the Reserve. The dairy digester facilitates the breakdown of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.
Sokol Blosser now undergoes detailed yearly carbon reporting through The Climate Registry, which highlights our carbon usage and recovery each year. Reporting our carbon usage to a certifying agent adds legitimacy to a statement like carbon neutrality, something we feel is important for any claim that carries a marketing benefit. However, we feel that being carbon neutral is not enough to reverse the damage that has already been done to our environment. Our next goal after reaching full carbon neutrality is carbon restoration, or the reversing of negative effects.
The wine industry is a great place to initiate a movement toward this way of thinking because it is largely populated with forward thinking people who are tied to the land. It is an agriculture-based industry with a major tourism component, which gives us an opportunity to teach as well as execute. For Sokol Blosser, we are still in the carbon reduction stage. We are working to better understand the full range of environmental implications of our business. If you consider only what we own and operate, our carbon footprint is rather small. What about the companies that ship our wine? What about the air travel our sales people use? Who is responsible for that – is it the winery or the companies that profit from it? These are the tricky questions we continue to explore as we work towards our ultimate goal of carbon restoration.
For more information visit: http://www.crchallenge.org/
Errata and Clarifications released for the Organic Waste Composting Project Protocol Version 1.0
Nominate a Climate Action Champion by Wednesday, February 29
Our annual Climate Action Champion awards are an opportunity to recognize individuals and organizations that exemplify leadership and commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For their efforts in the “fight” against climate change, we award these outstanding and deserving award recipients with a special championship belt.
We are pleased to accept nominations from Reserve account holders, staff and Board Members. You can nominate any individual, company, academic institution, government agency and/or non-profit organization that you believe has demonstrated excellence in reducing GHG emissions. Eligibility is not limited to Reserve affiliates and self-nomination is allowed. For more information on the nomination process and to make a nomination, please review the nomination form below:
Climate Action Champion Nomination Form
In 2011, the Reserve recognized the following Climate Action Champions:
- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, State of California
- Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Terry Tamminen, former secretary of the California EPA and founder of Seventh Generation Advisors
- PG&E
From l-r: Linda Adams, Gary Gero and Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger
From l-r: Gary Gero, Steve Kline from PG&E, Gina McCarthy from U.S. EPA
and Terry Tamminen from Seventh Generation Advisors
Agenda and participation details for Reserve Board meeting Wednesday, February 1