Cool Effect Blog

Dear Colleagues, We begin 2021 with new hope for the climate. We asked you to share your thoughts in our recent poll. The results are telling: 67% report that sustainability ranks as a Top 3 corporate goal for 2021 35% report that your company’s interest in sustainability is being driven by employees with 32% reporting that it is being driven by upper management, the board or stockholders. Over 70% say they are “just getting started” This data is consistent across all sizes of businesses ranging from Fortune 500 tech companies with public goals to local small businesses looking to offset travel. Every business that reaches out wants to do the right thing, and every business wants to know that their dollars will make a difference in the fight against the climate crisis. We continue to participate in discussions around specific definitions of “carbon neutrality” and, undoubtedly, it is a moving target. As requirements unfold, we are working with each of you to define the best path for 2021. This usually includes a discussion of internal challenges and communication options. One thing we have learned is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ for businesses. It is much better to [...]

Today’s concerns for food production, human migration, and water management are all intimately connected with the carbon cycle and how human activity affects it. If you want to take an informed position on nearly any issue that concerns the environment, you should understand how the carbon cycle works. In this article, we will work to describe to you what the carbon cycle is, what the major carbon reservoirs are, how humans affect the cycle, and what actions humans can take to reduce their impact on the carbon cycle. What is the Carbon Cycle? According to the website for the National Ocean Service, the carbon cycle is the “chemical backbone of life on Earth.” The carbon cycle describes the processes through which carbon travels on the earth. The carbon cycle is being disrupted by humans on a scale never seen before due to anthropogenic climate change. Asking “what is the carbon cycle” is a vitally important question for business leaders, policymakers, and anyone impacted by the rapid changes taking place in our environment. The cycle is broken up into two components: the slow carbon cycle and the fast carbon cycle. The slow carbon cycle occurs when atmospheric carbon combines with water [...]

Carbon farming has recently appeared in the news as a set of agricultural practices that promises to help alleviate CO2 issues and combat global warming. However, this area in agriculture science is still under development, and there are many questions as to how farmers, companies, and governments can carry out the practices described in carbon farming. With that in mind, we’re dedicating this article to discussing what carbon farming is, how carbon gets stored in the soil (and why this is a good thing), the environmental impact of carbon farms, and methods of carbon sequestration in soil. Carbon farming is destined to spring up in environmental discussions soon, and regardless of view, everyone whose livelihood depends on agriculture or is concerned about CO2 impacts should know the basics of carbon farming and the soil carbon cycle. What is Carbon Farming? Carbon farming is a set of practices that transfer carbon from the atmosphere and back into the soil and plants. Carbon sequestering is the actual physical process of capturing carbon and putting it back into soil and plant matter, while carbon farming is the broad array of practices used in agriculture to accomplish carbon sequestering. The most widely held carbon [...]

Environmental sustainability has become one of the most common phrases in discussions about climate change. The importance of environmental sustainability can have a significant impact in the fight against the climate crisis. However, many people aren’t clear on what it is or what practical steps to take as individuals or as a company. What is Environmental Sustainability and Why Is It Important? Even if you are committed to the fight against climate change, you may be unsure of the answer to “what is environmental sustainability?” The standard definition of environmental sustainability equates to environmentally sustainable development, but what does that mean on a practical level? It means there must be a balanced relationship between the natural resources available to us and the human consumption of those resources: For renewable resources like crops or timber, the rate of harvest shouldn’t exceed the rate of regeneration. This is known as “sustainable yield.” For non-renewable resources like fossil fuels, the rate of depletion shouldn’t exceed the rate of development of renewable alternatives like solar or wind power. For pollution, the rates of waste generation shouldn’t exceed the capacity of the environment to assimilate that waste. This is known as “sustainable waste disposal.” In [...]

Climate change has become one of the most pressing issues of our time. Finding creative and effective solutions to climate change—including ways to stop global warming—is one of the most debated and complex topics for scientists and world leaders alike. The health of humanity and our planet is at stake and, with it, the survival of untold species and ecosystems. Every individual action counts. Though the task may seem daunting, there are viable global warming solutions to slow climate change and change the course of the planet’s future if we take decisive, global action now. Both individuals and companies are wondering how to help climate change. Here are some ways to get started today. How to Slow Climate Change If you’re wondering how to reduce global warming, here are five ways individuals and companies can adapt their daily behavior to stop global warming: Minimize carbon footprint. This is one of the main ways to stop global warming and can have an impact on both individual action and company commitments. The most powerful way to minimize your carbon footprint is to reduce travel that includes a large amount of fossil fuel such as air travel or extensive driving. Try to take [...]

As the climate crisis increasingly dominates headlines and consumer culture, companies are stepping up their efforts to reduce their environmental impact. Businesses of all sizes are implementing a range of sustainable practices and highlighting their commitment to climate-friendly initiatives. While most businesses implements meaningful carbon-reducing initiatives, there are some that misrepresent their products or activities and market them as being more environmentally sound than they actually are. This practice is known as “greenwashing” (also known as “green washing” or “green sheen”) and is considered a false advertising practice that erodes consumer confidence, harms a brand’s reputation, and creates confusion for everyone trying to participate in the fight against the climate crisis. How Does Greenwashing Work? To grasp the nuances of greenwashing—and avoid falling into its trap when promoting your own business or organization—it’s important to define greenwashing and understand how it works. The standard greenwashing definition includes any corporate practice of conveying overstated, unsubstantiated, or misleading information about how environmentally sound or sustainable that company’s products or services are. It is generally used as unsubstantiated marketing or sales message to capitalize on the growing demand for environmentally friendly products. Greenwashing companies put more effort and resources into positioning themselves as [...]

How Businesses are Reducing their Carbon Footprint Regardless of the size and structure of your business, you can create standards and protocols to make your company carbon neutral. There are several ways businesses can reduce their carbon footprint. This process begins by understanding the emissions generated by your company and tracking your current carbon footprint. Once you know your company’s emissions, you can take actionable strides towards reducing your business's carbon footprint. Cool Effect is here to help you understand how to reduce business carbon footprint and highlight changes you can implement right now. Understanding Carbon Footprint For Businesses: The Basics If you want to join the ranks of companies reducing their carbon footprint, start with the basics. Your establishment’s carbon footprint is a measurement of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted through various activities and operations. To have a true grasp of corporate carbon footprints, every aspect of your business needs to be taken into account, from business trips to remote locations to the amount of paper you use to print in-house memos. Once you have a tally of your annual usage, you can start identifying where your company needs to make the most adjustments to reduce office carbon footprint. Large [...]

What is Carbon Footprint & How to Reduce Carbon Emissions Climate Change is being felt around the world. Every year we see irrevocable damage melting the polar ice sheets leading to rising sea levels. Increasingly disastrous weather, extreme heat, and fires as well as dramatic increases in ocean temperatures are changing the planet as we have known it for centuries. While human actions have negatively impacted the environment, we can all come together, do our part, and reduce our Carbon Footprint. The first step to addressing this worldwide problem is to understand how our contribution to the climate crisis. To get started, learn how to calculate the carbon footprint and how to reduce your carbon footprint. What is a Carbon Footprint? Most people wildly overstate the quantity of their personal emissions. A carbon footprint definition is basically the quantity of greenhouse gases (GHG), like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), that are released into the atmosphere. GHG emissions are measured in metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents so that the units are comparable. These GHGs absorb radiant heat and trap it in the atmosphere, leading to the rising temperature of the earth’s surface. A carbon footprint can be applied to [...]

How to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Cool Effect Climate change is ever-present and can be impacted positively or negatively by the choices we make. We must pay close attention to how our actions affect our future on this planet. You might ask How to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions? One of the best ways to combat this global menace is by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We know that we can make a difference today with proactive greenhouse gas reduction. Understandably, solving this issue will need to be made at the national level. However, it’s important we understand, as individuals, which action would most likely increase the greenhouse effect. (Knowing what not to do and avoiding those practices is key.) With that in mind, this guide will help you learn how to reduce greenhouse gases every day and build a more sustainable future. Understanding Greenhouse Gases: The Basics Before we begin our journey of how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we first need to know what these gases are and what they are doing to our planet. Greenhouse Effect A greenhouse gas traps heat from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere. This build-up of radiant energy has no way to escape. [...]

What are Carbon Credits? How They Work & Market Price Saving the environment will take everyone. Individual efforts and local initiatives are essential, but we need worldwide policies and voluntary action from companies to ensure we meet our targets for lowering emissions. Carbon offsets are simple way companies of all sizes contribute to positive change for the planet especially when they support high-quality carbon projects. But what is a carbon credit? And how carbon credits work? Let’s answer these questions below while also looking at the basics of carbon credits. What are Carbon Credits and how Carbon Credits work? Carbon credits are a system to measure, compensate and offset for greenhouse gasses that are emitted into the earth’s atmosphere. They are measured in metric tons. What is a carbon credit vs carbon offset? Carbon offsets or carbon credits have the same function to compensate for emissions occurring in another place. ‘Carbon offset’ and ‘carbon credit’ are terms that are generally used interchangeably. ‘Carbon credit’ is more often used in reference to a financial unit of measurement that represents the avoidance, sequestration or removal of one tonne (1,000 kg or 2,205 lbs.) of carbon from the atmosphere. ‘Carbon offset’ is often [...]