by Shane Henson — July 22, 2011—CB Richard Ellis Group (CBRE) recently announced that it has achieved carbon neutrality for its 2010 global operations, reportedly making it the first global commercial real estate services firm to accomplish such a feat. In 2007, CB Richard Ellis adopted a companywide environmental stewardship policy, which included the goal of becoming carbon neutral.
CB Richard Ellis measures its carbon footprint annually using the internationally accepted standard known as the World Resources Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The 2010 carbon measurement included all global emissions from sources controlled or owned by CB Richard Ellis, including its global fleet of vehicles, and direct electricity consumption. In Australia, where carbon neutrality is defined by federal legislation, the measurement also includes emissions resulting from company activities that the firm does not directly control, such as corporate travel.
The company achieved neutrality by implementing carbon mitigation programs, such as green leasing standards and sustainable operation protocols, and then offsetting the remainder by investing in carbon mitigation projects, such as conservation-based forest initiatives, landfill methane destruction and sustainability projects in emerging economies. For 2010, the company offset more than 50,000 metric tons of emissions.
Also, in line with internationally accepted carbon market and government standards, CB Richard Ellis has purchased carbon offsets from socially responsible projects around the globe. Projects include:
- A conservation-based forest management project that increases sequestration and storage of carbon in a native redwood forest in Mendocino County, California.
- Methane capture and destruction projects in the United States.
- Technology that allows a fertilizer production facility run by co-op farmers near Uttar Pradesh, India to replace naphtha, a toxic petroleum byproduct, with natural gas.
- A biomass project in near Novodvinsk, Russia that converts the wood waste generated by a local paper mill to energy that supplies heat to neighboring communities.
- Methane capture and destruction projects in the United States.
