EDC Burgos Wind Power Corporation built a security post out of eco-bricks. This is one of the company’s efforts to practice the 3Rs and minimize wasteIn the fight against climate change, scientists have advised that we need to reduce our carbon footprint or the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by our activities, either directly or indirectly. We can do this by minimizing travel, consuming less meat, buying sustainably-sourced products, cycling to work or bringing our own bag to the store. However, companies and professional activities contribute a much bigger carbon footprint to the environment. How can they reduce their carbon footprint and help mitigate climate change?

 A multi-sectoral movement called Net Zero Carbon Alliance (NZCA) launched by Energy Development Corporation (EDC) aims to attain zero carbon emissions among local businesses as part of its mission to forge collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future.

Net-zero carbon aims to balance the global carbon dioxide emissions and collective carbon dioxide removal efforts over a specific period as its end goal. Like a half-filled bathtub with both an open drain and faucet, net-zero carbon does not mean zero emissions, but the removal of carbon at the same rate that emissions occur.

Here are five practical ways to reduce your company’s carbon footprint:

1. Calculate carbon footprint. Calculate your carbon footprint by determining the following from your business activities over a 12-month period: energy, gas and water consumption; business travel and fuel consumption; employee travel; and waste disposal/recycling. The NZCA website (https:// netzerocarbonalliance.ph/) is equipped with a carbon footprint calculator. Just input your monthly electric consumption in kilowatt-hours, determine the region you are situated in and it will immediately generate results.

2. Use renewable energy (RE) sources. Shifting to RE is the surest way to lower any company’s carbon emissions. RE sources—wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric and biomass—provide substantial benefits for the environment and climate health. They can be used to produce electricity with fewer environmental impacts or no greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and even reduce some types of air pollution. Compared to other RE sources, experts say geothermal energy is the only one that can provide a reliable and stable source of baseload power. That is why EDC’s geothermal product is called Geo 24/7—it’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

3. Practice the three Rs: Reduce, reuse and recycle. The principle of the three Rs is a must whenever we talk about being environmentally friendly, whether on a small or large scale. Thinking about sustainable procurement can act as an exercise to engage employees by thinking of ways they can reduce consumption of items, from office supplies to packaging and operations. The manufacture and transport of these items have an associated carbon footprint. Thus, a significant reduction of these things will probably not only make your company more eco-friendly but will also help its bottom line, too!

4. Partner with pro-green suppliers. You may be minimizing your company’s environmental impacts, but if you are supporting businesses that do the bare minimum to protect and conserve the environment, you are technically funding unsustainable practices. Partner with suppliers and other stakeholders that are pro-environment and take sustainability to heart.

5. Monitor, evaluate and report progress. Check your company’s progress on carbon footprint reduction efforts and create a strategy of what you are implementing and how much energy you expect to save. NZCA provides partner companies and organizations a road map to achieve carbon neutrality by sharing best practices, scaling up carbon emission reduction and tracking, and providing better access to green financing, among many other capacity-building tools.

Everyone is encouraged to carry out initiatives that support environmental causes, and you should act now—no matter how big or small it may be. After all, we all live on our only planet, and we have a moral responsibility to save it for future generations.

Take the first step to carbon neutrality. Visit https://netzerocarbonalliance.ph/ for more information. (Story/Photos by: Jolly Jamoralin)