Wednesday, June 23, 2010

no2co2


The Background
It has been a while since the global scientific community reached the conclusion - Global Warming IS occurring and it IS influenced greatly by the release of greenhouse gases from human activities. But, at this moment, the international negotiations are stalemated and our national government and industries are taking only tentative steps to reverse decades of climatic depredation.


The no2co2 Philosophy: Individual responsibility
no2co2 believes that the climatic catastrophe staring us in the face is but a symptom of our fractured relationship with nature. And while the threat of a catastrophe is looming, it is also an opportunity to “Evolve” to a new, more sustainable, paradigm of living and doing business. While top-down interventions from the governments, industries and policy are essential, the primary responsibility rests with us – as part of the societies we live in, as part of the businesses we conduct, and, as individual consumers.


The no2co2 Approach: Realise Minimise Neutralise
Step 1 – Measure and Analyse - REALISE


Animals living in close proximity of Nature often have an instinctive understanding of how their activities are impacting their immediate surroundings, and therefore, the wisdom to course correct. However, over the past few centuries, as we have become increasingly specialized in the functions we perform in our societies, we have largely lost not only this understanding of our surroundings, but also a general understanding of what it takes for us to lead the lifestyles that we do. We usually think of electricity as something that comes out of the socket in the wal,l and seldom as a resource that comes from coal that is burnt on a faraway factory. Sometimes the backward linkages are relatively easy to trace. Most often they are not. A veil of uncertainty often shrouds the environmental impact of our activities. The effects are too distant, nebulous and the measurement process and the benchmarks are not clearly defined. Over the last few years, no2co2 has built up expertise in breaking up and analysing the processes and systems around us – the things we use, the food we eat, how we travel, where we stay, how we socialize. The effort is to evaluate each aspect of our lives in terms of the footprint that it leaves on the environment. We aim to arm each individual with an objective unit to clearly evaluate the environment impact of any decision that he/ she takes – the Carbon Footprint. We believe that if used widely enough, and for long enough, it will enter into our collective conscience to the extent where it will actually start having a demonstrable effect.Step


2: Adapt and Adopt – MINIMISE


The Minimisation journey is not an act of penance, but “Evolution” to a new way of thinking, living and doing business, that will reverse the effects of years of imbalance between our consumption and Nature’s ability to sustain. It involves behavioural changes in our current consumption patterns – adapting to a more sustainable way of living and working, and adopting technologies and processes that reduce the environmental impact of our existenceStep


3: Offset through participation in projects that are logical, verifiable and socially relevant - NEUTRALISE


Offsetting is not the easy route to atone for our ‘climatic sins”; but it can be an opportunity to get involved in projects that are instrumental in not just offsetting one’s own footprint, but also in stimulating behavioural change on a wider social scale.


The no2co2 interventions: What we do
no2co2 seeks to intervene at each of the three stages of one’s behavioural change journey summarized elegantly in the three steps of REALISE, MINIMISE and NEUTRALISE


1. To inform/ measure


A measuring tool does not merely produce a “Result ” in terms of a “number”; it serves as a tool to educate, prioritise and to and record the process of behavioural change. The Basic Calculator featured on the no2co2 website and the various customized versions that we are constantly in the process of developing and fine tuning, serve as the lynchpin around which information is organized and disseminated. The Calculator can be customised in various ways – by the process that is being studied, by the target audience or by the presentation layer. The possible intervention points are roadshows, one-off or a series of workshops at events, organizations, educational institutions, in partnership with citizens’ organizations, individuals and groups that have experience of environmental education.


2. To consult/ facilitate


no2co2 is constantly looking for, reviewing and evaluating new technologies, processes and partnerships that have a lower environmental impact. In some cases, it means dipping into our traditional knowledge base, while in other cases it involves identifying new technologies and processes.We aim to build up a comprehensive, peer-reviewed “Resources” database, and also provide more hands-on consulting in implementation and monitoring of these solutions in case of specific projects.


3. Portfolio management


no2co2 is striving towards a more participatory and socially relevant approach towards offsetting, while maintaining the checks and balances that have been put in place through methodologies that are already prevalent This approach will be finalized and offsetting projects will be identified in the next few months.


How much you pollute the planet calculate it by yourself by this link


http://www.no2co2.in/CarbonCalculator.php


Sok 777