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Starting a GHG management program

All business and organizations, regardless of their size or sector, can manage and reduce their impact on the climate. Generally, this can be approached like any business strategy, meaning by:

• assessing risks and opportunities
• setting goals
• assigning staff and resources
• developing and implementing a plan to achieve those goals
• monitoring the results

If your business already has a sustainability program

Managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can fit well into existing efforts or, alternatively, it can be the 1st step towards reducing your company's overall environmental impact. The best-practice model of greenhouse gas management involves a systematic approach, but there is still considerable flexibility for your business to tailor a GHG management program to your own needs.

3 ways of going about it

• Start with a full-scale GHG management program and begin by measuring emissions from your entire operations.
• Develop a single carbon neutral product.
• Set a reduction target for a particular department or business unit, or for a single category of emissions, like electricity use or transportation.

Because there are so many options for businesses to choose from when it comes to GHG management, it is important to do some initial planning to decide how best to proceed. Here are 4 steps that most businesses will find useful when creating a GHG management program:

1. Define the business case.
2. Establish goals.
3. Obtain support and active commitment to the goals from leaders in the organization.
4. Create a climate leadership team and allocate funds to the program.

Example – Running a carbon neutral business

Nike, global marketer of athletic footwear and equipment, plans to make all Nike brand facilities, retail and business travel carbon neutral by 2011. "We see corporate responsibility as a catalyst for growth and innovation," says CEO Mark Parker.

Source: The Corporate Social Responsability Newswire website.

Source: David Suzuki Fondation website.