Reducing carbon footprint while maximizing shareholder value is a strategic imperative for modern businesses. Laurent Pacalin, FICO™ chief marketing officer and co-founder of the clean tech open, is interviewed by Darcy Sullivan. FICO™ has established a standard credit scoring service that has enabled equal opportunity banking. The Clean Tech Open is the most successful clean tech business plan in the nation supporting entrepreneurs push toward the development of a lower carbon economy. At FICO™ we are interested in achieving economic, environmental and social success. The sustainability thought leader Andy Savitz calls this the triple bottom line. Now, as an industry leader, we take it upon ourselves to solve really big problems. In the context of FICO™ the big problems that we can tackle are what I call the Climate Crunch and the Credit Crunch. The office and IT are becoming major drivers of climate change. Let me try to illustrate this point. By 2020, mckinsey predicted that IT would be the cause of 1.5 gigatons of greenhouse gases. Weve recently announced a Sustainable Enterprise Initiative to focus on reducing FICO™ carbon footprint. Led by our CIO, Christopher Rence, and supported by our employees. It is focused on three key areas, greening our data centers by improving the energy efficiency of our IT infrastructure, reducing employee commute miles by encouraging telecommuting and decreasing overall printing and using post-consumer paper wherever possible. These …

Computing is the fastest growing part of carbon consumption. Experts explore how to increase energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of computing, data centers and servers. Series: Summit on Energy Efficiency [11/2009] [Science] [Show ID: 17373]

Carbon offsets are instruments that may be acquired and sold to balance the GHG emissions generated by a person or a company. Preferably, we offset emissions when we cannot prevent them while executing our daily necessary activities. If one generates emissions in the presence of an alternate sustainable way, it is generally frowned upon by eco-conscious people. For simplicity, one carbon offset is measured as the reduction of one metric ton of CO2.

Numerous European countries have made nationwide legislations that allow firms to release up to a particular amount of emissions. If a firm releases over that set limit, it has to purchase carbon offsets to balance the equation. Apart from this compliance market, there’s also a growing market for voluntary purchase of offsets. Those who are eco-conscious buy offsets to reduce their personal carbon footprint even though they are not forced by law to do this. This voluntary acquisition, however, is not restricted to individuals, and several large firms too buy offsets to retain a low carbon footprint or to develop an environmental friendly image.

So that’s how the need for carbon offsets arises, either via legal regulations that in some way penalize businesses or because of growing consciousness in voluntary purchasers. Now how are carbon offsets ‘manufactured’? Offset providers take part in large scale projects that are designed to cut GHG emissions in even millions of metric tons, and as mentioned earlier, every metric ton of carbon dioxide lessened creates one carbon offset. These projects make certain that the overall emissions released on earth get reduced so the precise site of these projects is not a big concern.

This is easy to understand because GHG emissions generated in one nation influence the entire planet when they dissolve into thin air. Hence, a project cutting emissions in India can be used to offset emissions produced in the UK. This approach has become famous as cutting greenhouse gases in third world countries is mostly far cheaper than reducing the same volume of emissions in European countries.

There are many viewpoints for and against the system of carbon offsetting but those are beyond the scope of this introductory article. All in all, carbon offsets do play a role in decrease of greenhouse gases if generated by genuine projects and traded with full transparency.

Multimedia journalism project for COMM 190 at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa

This TV advert explains that everyone has carbon footprint and it contributes to climate change. You can calculate your carbon footprint at direct.gov.uk/actonco2 … climate change global warming carbon footprint act on co2 environment science tv advert

Are you throwing money away on wasted energy every year? Our latest uPVC casement windows are ‘A’ rated under the Windows Energy Rating scheme. That means they reduce annual net energy loss to ZERO, making them the most eco-friendly around.

Over recent years our society is becoming increasingly aware of environmental issues, such as global warming, and the responsibilities we have to help save our planet.

By choosing the right PVC windows for your home you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint and save yourself money on energy bills.

Choose the most energy efficient double glazed windows available on the market!

The government has introduced the Window Energy Ratings scheme. By using the same ratings system that items such as fridges and washing machines have been using for years, it is now possible to rate a window from any given installer.

The finished window combination is independently tested, and awarded a rating from A to G. Those achieving a C-rating or above are allowed to display the Energy Saving Recommended blue label, demonstrating they have been designed, manufactured and tested to provide a good level of overall thermal efficiency.

So, if C-rated is energy efficient, how much better does an A-rated window perform?

Well, its simple really. An A-rated uPVC window will not lose any heat whatsoever from your home. None. Zero. It’s a little more complex than that, but the principle really is true.

By installing Conservatory Outlet’s latest energy saving A-Rated windows you will be helping improve the overall performance of your home which will not only reduce your heating bills and CO2 emissions but it could improve the value of your property and speed up any future sale.

Just how much difference can the sealed unit make?
Energy ratings don’t just now apply to fridges, boilers and windows – they apply to your entire home. When you come to sell your house, you will need a Homebuyers Information Pack, or HIP for short. As well as your heating type and things such as loft insulation, the windows in your home contribute hugely to the overall rating. Fit A-rated windows and you’re well on your way to an A-rated home.

Because the glass area is much bigger than the frame area, thermal improvements in the glass unit itself go a very long way to help make windows efficient. So much so, the choice of sealed units is by far the biggest factor in how much energy is lost, or saved, through your windows. In fact, by fitting the most efficient sealed units, you can reduce your carbon footprint by as much as 2 Tonnes of CO2 every year.

Our new window is designed with this in mind. Manufactured from a combination of the very latest materials and glass types, ThermaglassMAX constantly works to retain heat within your home.

Nothing new there you might think. But did you realize that through a combination of glass types and the heating effect of the sun, ThermaglassMAX south facing windows are so efficient they can even contribute to heating your home.

Windows that heat your house? Now there’s a novel idea.