This week, TerraPass launched a tool allowing businesses to measure and monitor their carbon emissions associated with their operations, including business travel. Aptly named the “Carbon Balanced Business Program”, the online carbon calculator analyzes five areas that typically inflate a company’s carbon footprint. Businesses usually generate carbon emissions through on-site energy use, off-site server [...]

This week, TerraPass launched a tool allowing businesses to measure and monitor their carbon emissions associated with their operations, including business travel. Aptly named the “Carbon Balanced Business Program”, the online carbon calculator analyzes five areas that typically inflate a company’s carbon footprint. Businesses usually generate carbon emissions through on-site energy use, off-site server energy use, company vehicles, business travel, and employee commuting.

TerraPass, which is known specifically for being at the forefront of everything “offset-tech” for homes, air and transportation, coordinated with several companies that that are actively working to improve their own sustainable business practices.

“It is important that businesses show real leadership in being environmentally responsible by implementing comprehensive and long-term sustainability practices,” said Butterfield & Robinson CEO Benson Cowan. “This means understanding and measuring our footprint, committing to working hard to reduce consumption, and looking for meaningful methods to address what can’t be reduced now.”

TerraPass anticipates that businesses that have yet to consider offsetting due to the time and complication of auditing their impact will be able to quickly and efficiently calculate their carbon footprint and take the proper steps to improve their energy use and efficiency.

Because the carbon offset industry is young and unregulated, a frequent criticism centers on the lack of product standards, several of which are under development. Two of the most visible efforts are the Voluntary Carbon Standard, which is patterned after the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism, and the Green-e Retail Greenhouse Gas Reduction Certification Program, developed by CRS.

TerraPass is an active contributor to standards development, and recently testified before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, a congressional committee focused on climate change and energy independence. During his testimony, TerraPass CEO Erik Blachford called for governmental involvement in standards for the carbon offset industry.