Southface Institute: Blog

Roughly 23% of Fortune Global 500 companies have made some form of commitment to reach carbon neutrality between now and 2050. It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the …

Continue reading "How Can We Measure a Company’s Carbon Footprint?"

As companies look for innovative ways to reduce their carbon footprint, the public is hearing about more sustainability goals related to being carbon negative, climate positive and carbon neutral. But …

Continue reading "Becoming Climate Positive"

Tackling the problem of climate change has been a difficult task because carbon emission data is collected after the fact, not as it happens. Climate TRACE, an initiative led by Watt Time and supported by former Vice President Al Gore, aims to track pollution in real-time so researchers can see exactly where it comes from.

Government shutdowns and economic inactivity due to the coronavirus pandemic have caused sharp declines in greenhouse gases. Over 1 billion tons of carbon emissions have already been reduced, and it is projected we will see an overall annual decrease between 4-7%. Although these reductions are remarkable, scientists warn that more structural changes to the energy system need to be made for long-term success.

Phones and communication networks could consume 21% of global energy consumption by 2030. Tom Jarrett, a designer at the U.K. design studio Normally heard this and started researching how to redesign the internet to use less energy. Find out how his version of Instagram limits its energy consumption and carbon footprint.

A new report, Sector Coupling in Europe: Powering Decarbonization, reveals that if the transportation, building and industry sectors all electrified at the same time, they could cut their carbon emissions by 60% over the next three decades. The report recommends different approaches to electrification, while considering the extent of clean energy policies implemented by the government.

There are many ways to measure the emissions of a buildings’ operations, but emissions associated with the materials and construction process, or embodied carbon, are often left unchecked. Construction requires the usage of many carbon-intensive materials, including concrete, steel, aluminum and glass. Assessing the building’s overall life cycle will aid architects in decarbonizing the building sector.

To address the increasing greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere, architects and designers are promoting the built environment as a solution to remove carbon dioxide from the air. Various manufacturers have innovated materials that are carbon-sequestering in their very composition. This creates opportunities for building professionals to use new forms of concrete, glass, plastic and others that help reduce emissions.

Consumers, shareholders and employees are starting to demand that companies take responsibility for their carbon emissions. Since buildings contribute to nearly 40 percent of all carbon emissions, companies have an opportunity to make a real difference by building energy-efficient workplaces.

From memos to contracts, to-do-lists and reports, paper is a part of office life. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 90 percent of all office waste is paper, but this …

Continue reading "Arbor Day Every Day: A Tree-Free Alternative for the Office"