Claremont’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Project

The first two weeks of this quarter has been very productive. Although we haven’t been able to meet with the Sustainability Coordinator to obtain data sets and a calculation model, we have been preceded on the following tasks:

Task 3.5: Develop Supplementary Greenhouse Gas (GHG) impact of food choice bar graph

Since we were unable to obtain the data during the first two weeks of the quarter, our group went ahead and decided on the template and model we were going to base our GHG impact of food choice graph would resemble. We chose two models that we feel appear to be effective in displaying and providing the information vital for our data.

          

Measuring Emissions.. A better way

In today’s world, cities are responsible for about 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, it is of upmost importance that we begin to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in cities. Cities may start by assessing their Green House Gas emissions and creating an emissions inventory.

The purpose of the GHG Emissions Inventory is to identify the sources and quantities of GHG emissions within the City’s jurisdictional boundaries. This Inventory is the first step in addressing GHG emissions.

Goal Area 2.3: Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

This goal the City has set for itself, reduce greenhouse gases, might be considered a no-brainer in development of a climate action plan or sustainable community strategy. A significant majority of sustainability plans or climate action plans are based on reduction of greenhouse gases, through mitigation measures. In California this approach has added strength when considering legislation such as AB32, which targets emissions. The very first step in reducing greenhouse gases is establishing a baseline from which progress can be tracked and strategies analyzed for effectiveness. Establishing a baseline inventory from which progress could be measured was listed as a ‘Phase I’ step in the implementation plan back in 2008 and still in the new 2013 update. ‘Phase I’ strategies are defined by the city itself as the “just do it” category. The fact is this crucial first step has not yet been completed.