What is carbon neutral? Google the term and you’ll likely come up with close to two million hits. For the public sector in British Columbia, it is about taking responsibility for 100 percent of the carbon pollution we create.
It’s about leadership and transforming how we do business. That means reducing our energy, fuel and consumption costs in a time of economic restraint. Most important, B.C.’s commitment to become carbon neutral for 2010 capitalizes on the market reach of the public sector to inform and inspire citizens to action.
Change is not easy. B.C. is the first jurisdiction in North America to make a sweeping commitment to carbon neutral operations across the entire public sector and there is no rulebook, existing policy guidance or best practices to look at. Add to that the urgency and the complexity and you have all the makings of a perfect storm.
One of the strengths of the carbon neutral initiative is its ability to reach government employees and their network of contacts: teachers, professors and students, nurses and patients, staff and clients of Crown agencies. With one degree of separation, we can reach almost everyone in B.C.
To foster engagement, one of the first things B.C. did in 2007 was to call for green ideas, and initiate Green Teams. Staff identified and implemented actions to reduce their carbon pollution and became agents of change. Green Teams personalized the message, championed local programs and are a continual source of ideas – they are so successful that 73 percent of B.C.’s public sector organizations have indicated support of Green Teams.
The purpose of carbon neutral government is to reduce emissions, demonstrate leadership and to inspire individuals to take action in many small and big ways at work, and hopefully, in their own life with their family, friends and neighbours. B.C.’s approach has been to focus on forward momentum and continuous improvement.
Carbon neutral 2010 is an opportunity to communicate actions and to get citizens to see that carbon pollution is real, is threatening their way of life and that they can do something about it. And our public sector is taking action and using all available tools to maximize energy savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction. Since 2007, B.C.’s public sector is transforming how it manages infrastructure, making tremendous strides in changing the makeup of the fleet, improving driving habits, reducing travel and changing how it does business.
In any effort to motivate behaviour change, it is critical to recognize that individuals, divisions and organizations will have the capacity and desire to move incrementally and at a different pace. Leaving space for different types of actions in different regions across the province is important, as is finding ways to recognize small changes (e.g., recycling in a remote area of the province is much harder than in Vancouver).
Achieving carbon neutrality is a four-step process: reduce carbon pollution; measure remaining emissions; purchase offsets to ensure net emissions are zero; and report out on results.
Annual public reporting holds government accountable for its commitment. It also systematizes the effort, demonstrates progress, provides results and is an idea bank for organizations looking to reduce their own carbon footprint. The annual Carbon Neutral Update reports list the thousands of actions being taken across B.C.’s public sector, including sever virtualization, choosing online publication to replace printed documents, diverting waste during construction, development of on-site renewable energy, switching to fuel-efficient vehicles/equipment and promoting active transportation. With these tools, employees are transforming the way they work, saving time and travel dollars while reducing carbon pollution and delivering public services more efficiently.
While the B.C. public sector is actively and dramatically reducing its carbon footprint, it still generates GHG emissions. To be carbon neutral for 2010 there need to be emission reductions elsewhere that are equal to the B.C. public sector. That’s why B.C. established the Pacific Carbon Trust to acquire high-quality GHG offsets. Offsets are not about paying companies to do what they would have done – emission reductions have to be meaningful and credible. Offsetting is not a solution; it is a temporary measure to stimulate movement towards a zero emissions society.
Beyond the climate action benefits, carbon neutral operations make sense from an economic and societal perspective. Through carbon neutral government, British Columbians will learn directly how to take action and will see first-hand the benefits of a low carbon lifestyle.
Colleen Sparks is director of Carbon Neutral Operations for the Climate Action Secretariat of British Columbia.
