Home Your Chamber Get Green Toolkit CO2 Reduction

Reduce Your CO2 Emissions

Compiled by Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth

1. Save Energy

• Purchase Only Energy Star Equipment: The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Energy Star program rates high efficiency equipment for businesses by ZIP code and lists where to buy it.
• Do a Business Energy Audit: PG&E provides expert energy audits to most business clients.
• Change Lighting: Install compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), light emitting diodes (LEDs), timers and motion sensors. These devices can pay for themselves in as little as two months.
• Monitor Heating/Venting/Air Conditioning (HVAC): Change to double-paned windows and do an annual HVAC to check-up for leaks. The City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) Commercial Advantage program provides rebates to buy energy-efficient HVAC equipment and other commercial equipment.
• Buy “Green Power”: In Palo Alto, sign up for Palo Alto Green, which is 100% renewable electricity.
• Add Energy Upgrades: Compute the value of adding energy upgrades to your
  commercial building.
• Plant a Tree: Well-placed shade trees will cut energy costs during the hot summer months. That tree will also store carbon dioxide that would otherwise be in the atmosphere. Plant a fruit or a nut tree and you’ll have the additional benefits of providing food and “fix” more carbon in the soil.

2. Save Water

According to the California Energy Commission, 6.5% of California’s total energy use goes to pump and transport water. Simply put: saving water saves energy.

• Install Water Flow Restrictors: Install restrictors in faucets, low-flow toilets and other appliances.

3. Help your Employees get out of their Cars

• Be Bicycle Friendly: Install bike racks, lockers and showers. Buy a few bicycles for staff errands between buildings and around town.
• Teach Your Staff: Check out www.511.org, the website for transit trip planning and carpool matching.
• Encourage Telecommuting.
• Use Teleconferencing Rather Than Air Travel: One round-trip cross-country flight (per
  individual) creates more than twice as much CO2 as driving the average car for a whole month.
  

4. Conserve Material Resources

It takes energy—and causes CO2 emissions—to manufacture, transport and recycle everything. Think “Reduce, Reuse and then Recycle.”

• Call City of Palo Alto Business Recycling Services: (650) 496-5910 for business-specific waste reduction ideas and tips on how to encourage people to participate in a workplace recycling program.
• Visit Recyclopedia: Check this resource for how to recycle anything. <http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/
• Purchase “Green Materials”: Visit the US Environmental Protection Agency, Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for information about purchasing recycled and less toxic materials.
• Dispose of E-Waste (Computers, Printers, Cell Phones and Other Electronic Items): It’s now illegal to dispose of electronic waste in landfills. To locate a certified recycler near you, go to the California Integrated Waste Management Board website locator page.
• Check Out GreenCitizen: A certified electronics recycler, GreenCitizen will pick up used equipment and also help businesses trade usable equipment with each other.
• Learn More About Becoming a “Green Business”: Visit the GreenBiz website for more information.

5. Use new Economic Tools to protect our Global Climate

• Calculate Your Co2 Emissions from Air Travel, Driving and Home Energy Use: Then buy carbon credits (“green tags”) to compensate for what you can’t reduce. Purchasing “green tags” supports the development of renewable energy such as wind power and other clean technologies. You can purchase “green tags” for business or personal use.
• Use Acterra’s Cool It! Calculator: You can use the Cool It! calculator to identify your personal CO2 emissions, learn about how to reduce them and purchase renewable energy certificates (“green tags”) to offset your remaining emissions.

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