This article provides a general overview of on-site versus offsite power and physical versus virtual power purchase agreements, also known as PPAs. On-Site Versus Offsite Power Put simply, on-site power and off-site power refer to where your energy comes from…

The carbon cycle, the greenhouse effect, the origin of fossil fuels, and how carbon affects nearly everything on Earth. The Carbon Cycle The carbon cycle is nature’s way of keeping carbon moving—cycling it from the atmosphere to the earth and…

For decades, our economy has functioned like a treadmill: we take resources from the Earth, turn them into products, use them, and then toss them aside without a second thought. This “take, make, dispose” system, known as the linear economy,…

Introduction You’ve decided to create a GHG inventory within your organization. Great! You’ve set your organizational and operational boundaries, selected your consolidation approach (equity share, financial control, or operational control), chosen a baseline year, and set up measures to mitigate…

Introduction When setting up a GHG inventory, there are several choices of activity data and emission factors used for calculating emissions from purchases of electricity, steam, heat, and cooling (i.e. scope 2). The primary piece of data needed to quantify…

Introduction After you’ve secured organization support, and before you start collecting emissions data, you’ll need to establish clear boundaries for your greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. The inventory will provide the foundation for your company’s climate change strategy by enabling you…

Reporting Programs and Requirements The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) is a federal emissions reporting program which requires high-emitting companies to account for and report emissions at the facility level. Under the GHGRP, facilities emitting…

Most electric bills are split into two main types of charges: delivery and supply. Delivery charges cover the cost of transporting electricity from the power plant to your home or business, including maintaining the power lines and infrastructure. Supply charges…

Setting greenhouse gas reduction targets is like setting a destination on your company’s GPS. It ensures that important issues stay top of mind for senior management, guiding them in making decisions about what products to offer, which materials to use,…

Introduction to the Calculator The EPA’s Simplified GHG Emissions Calculator is designed to help businesses of all sizes take control of their environmental impact. This user-friendly tool looks at both Scope 1 direct emissions and Scope 2 indirect emissions, providing…