Keen to build sustainability into your operations but don’t know where to start? The Atlantic Provinces Economic Council’s latest Net-Zero Report has grouped actions that businesses can take to achieve net-zero into 3 steps: Measure, Change, and Invest. We agree!
Taking that first step of measuring your organization’s greenhouse gas emissions allows you to understand your environmental impact and what the best course of action is to reduce your carbon footprint. This is where we start with each member at Green Economy New Brunswick. We will work with you to collect three years of data to establish your first greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory in line with the World Resource Institute’s GHG Protocol Standard, which is an internationally recognized standard for emissions quantification.
Next, we move to action planning! This is the step where you determine what changes you want to make. After your GHG inventory is established, we will work with your team to identify actions you can take to reduce your emissions. Climate actions that businesses take will vary depending on their size and operational complexity.
One commonality between all of the business sustainability plans we support our members to create is ensuring they include an achievable yet ambitious sustainability target. Publicly stating a target, and reporting on progress towards that target annually, is an important component of doing sustainability work credibly.
One way you can identify achievable climate actions for your business is to look at the actions that peers in your industry are taking. Some organizations are early adopters and are already reaping the business benefits of climate action.
Lastly, implementation of sustainability actions your business chooses will require time and financial investments. A smaller organization might be able to reduce a significant amount of emissions by focusing on energy efficiency upgrades at their location,while larger organizations may need to make bigger investments to offset their energy needs. Fortunately, more and more financial incentives are being made available to support the adoption of clean technology. The latest Federal Budget earmarked $21 billion for clean tech investments and there are provincial funds available through ACOA, the province of New Brunswick, and the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, amongst others, to help businesses access the resources they need to become more sustainable. Part of the value that we bring at Green Economy New Brunswick is providing updates on funding opportunities to our members to ensure they have access to the financial resources they need to achieve their sustainability goals.
Want to learn more about joining Green Economy New Brunswick, or how we can help accelerate your sustainability journey? Fill out our form or contact Cassidy Weisbord, Green Economy New Brunswick’s Manager, at cassidy@greeneconomynb.ca today!