Carbon Neutral Event
Carbon Expo Australasia 2010 is committed to fully offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions it can’t avoid. The ‘carbon footprint’ of Carbon Market Expo Australasia 2008 was assessed using best practice industry standards, and an abatement and offset strategy was implemented to ensure the event's ‘carbon neutrality’.
Energetics, a leading Australian climate change solutions provider was engaged as Expo's 2008 Carbon Management Partner, to prepare a greenhouse emissions inventory - the 'carbon footprint assessment' - for the event. Energetics also provided advice to event organisers concerning emissions offset procurement criteria, to ensure that offsets acquired by event organisers and carbon neutrality claims met best-practice industry standards, and were consistent with Australian Government guidance.
Carbon Market Expo 2008 - Footprint Assessment
Carbon Market Expo took an approach to boundary-setting for calculating the event's emissions footprint, that if offset, would provide the maximum benefit to future climate. So rather than taking responsibility only for emissions associated with event administration and direct emissions associated with the venue and marketing of the conference, an approach was adopted where the event's carbon neutrality includes all emissions associated with the hosting and running of this event including delegate flights and travel, all hotel accommodation, considerations of food consumed while at the venue and in hotels, marketing and publicity, and administration.
More than half of the event's total emission's footprint of 858 tonnes CO2-e was associated with delegate air travel, for which Expo organisers have taken responsibility, irrespective of whether individual delegates made their own offset arrangements. Any 'doubling up' in offsets will be to the benefit of future climate.
Offsets to achieve emissions neutrality for the 2008 event were provided by Carbon Planet, carboNZero, Climate Friendly and CO2 Australia.
An equivalent approach will be taken for the 2010 event. Details of how this is achieved and the methodology adopted, will be provided to all delegates and exhibitors.
