discussion op RE: Info request: GHG tools for manufacturers

[Rick Yoder <ryoder@mail.unomaha.edu>]

Hey, Gary - 

As was pointed out in the earlier emails,
the GHGprotocol.org site has several tools.  They are found through
a link on the left , Calculation tools. Or, 
http://www.ghgprotocol.org/templates/GHG5/layout.asp?type=p&MenuId=OTAx

Input /discussion request #1:
 I'm not sure what greater description one needs of each tool than
is on the site......   Maybe the descriptors (without discrete links
to the tools) as provided here:
http://www.wri.org/business/pubs_content_text.cfm?cid=2524
What else would you want to see in
a description of the tools?

Input /discussion request #2:
 As an interim measure, and an opening to another discussion, I posted
the references I was offered  in reply to my query here:
http://del.icio.us/P2RIC/GHGtools
I did not include links to all the tools
on the index page offered by David Flora (and John C, thanks!)
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/tools.html

As for the discussion opener I mentioned
- del.icio.us provides a nice social tagging tool for groups such as ours
- when questions of mutual interest arise, P2Tech provides a nice means
to capture a snapshot of our  collective knowledge - along with practical
examples and some good individual connections among those needing some
expertise and those who have it.  This listserve also provides a nice
sounding board.  And the archives provide a servicable mechanism to
reconstruct the discussion, or to do some re-search on previously asked
and answered questions.

But we could do more..... the IT and
knowledge management world have changed drastically since P2Tech started.
 (I won't bore you with stories of PIES, or urging external connection
for institutional-only email service, or the amazing introduction to something
known as a graphical user interface).  Point is, the tagging tools
are available for you and for me to each identify and describe the  found
resources for our mutual benefit.  Trouble is, either not enough people
seem interested in doing so, either because:
1) The relative advantage of having
a community developed resource isn't clear, or isn't understood as being
of greater benefit than the time to contribute, or 
2) The effort to tag a resource isn't
compatible with how our community uses the internet - it may be a training
need here or it may indicate that this community simply does not spend
much time doing research or communicating on the internet, or
3) The effort to learn how to tag, or
the structural need to organize permissions for collective tagging is still
too complex.  This may be like the half dozen features of my cell
phone, or computer, or TV, that I don't even know about or use.....  Beyond
the complexity quotient for many.

I think if there was sufficient interest
among enough members of this community, we could set up a trial tagging
around a topic such as GHG calculators, and it would have observable results.

The benefits go beyond having a good
resource - if the resource turns out to be good, that resource will help
build and sustain our community 

Cheers,

Rick

Richard Yoder, PE Director, P2ric.org University of Nebraska at Omaha 6001 Dodge Street, RH308 Omaha, NE 68182 vox: 402-554-6257 fax: 402-554-6260 http://www.p2ric.org/

P2RIC, the Pollution Prevention Regional Information Center, is a proud member of the Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange, P2Rx.org.

Gary Miller <gmiller@wmrc.uiuc.edu>

07/24/2007 08:40 AM

To	"Sobin,Rodney" <rsobin@deq.virginia.gov>, "Rick Yoder" <ryoder@mail.unomaha.edu>
cc	<P2Tech@great-lakes.net>
Subject	RE: Info request:  GHG tools for manufacturers

Dear P2 Techies,

This is a good and useful question.  rod's message below was quite
helpful.  It would be even more helpful if there were a database of
these tools with discussion of their uses, strengths and weaknesses.  Does
anybody know of such a collection?

I have been looking into the California Climate Action registry.  They
have a tool call CARROT.  You can view information about it at:

http://www.climateregistry.org/

On a related note, do any of the P2 technical assistance organizations
on this list have a carbon footprint reduction/greenhouse gases reduction
policy?  Have any of you calculated the footprint of your own operations?
 If so, please share your results.  

At WMRC we have a draft Carbon Emissions policy that I am hoping we will
adopt later this week.

Gary Miller

At 10:40 PM 7/20/2007, Sobin,Rodney wrote:
Rick and fellow P2Techers,
 
The interested companies may wish to check out the World Resources Institute's
GHG protocols www.wri.org
.  They are among the most cited and probably among the best regarded.
 
 
There are two protocols--one based on company/organization and the other
project based.  
 
Of particular importance to companies is that the WRI protocols consider
business as well as technical issues--for instance, how should a company
count emissions from a joint venture it co-owns with other firms? how about
activities of on-site contractors?  The protocols also consider such
issues of when and how to account for indirect emissions (pretty much everyone
ought to count emissions from electricity consumption though the emitter
is usually the electric utility but should companies account for emissions
from the production of other purchased inputs?)
 
I hope this is helpful.
 
Rod
-----Original Message----- 
From: owner-p2tech@great-lakes.net on behalf of Rick Yoder

Sent: Fri 20-Jul-07 2:47 PM 
To: 
Cc: 
Subject: Info request: GHG tools for manufacturers


HI, 

Sorry for the cross posting - this is a bigger job in
a relatively fast-changing arena, so I thought it best to ask everyone.....

Manufacturers are asking how to assess & quantify
what their Greenhouse Gas footprint is (are there tools available?) and
if there are manufacturing oriented best practices for reducing GHG.  

I've seen the: 
- Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator at http://www.usctcgateway.net/tool/

- Greenhouse Gas Protocol at  www.ghgprotocol.org
which has links to a nice array of calculators 

I know... this is such a broad question - what might you
add to the  two items above? 

thanks 

rick

Richard Yoder, PE
Director, P2ric.org
University of Nebraska at Omaha
6001 Dodge Street, RH308
Omaha, NE 68182
vox: 402-554-6257
fax: 402-554-6260
http://www.p2ric.org/

P2RIC, the Pollution Prevention 
Regional Information Center, is 
a proud member of the Pollution Prevention 
Resource Exchange, P2Rx.org.