GreenCents services are focused in the following areas:
Environmental accounting and cuditing
Accountants traditionally keep track of business performance by tallying up how many companies spend, save, invest, produce, and earn. But looking at money alone does not provide the whole picture.
Business and nature are more interrelated than most of us think. As governments, activists, and investors look for environmental solutions, companies are feeling pressure to track and report their impact on natural systems.
Environmental accountants helping businesses measure greenhouse-gas emissions and other environmental impacts are discovering that profit and productivity have come with a hidden price: the cost to nature.
The use of benchmarking and key performance indicators allow accountants to observe organizational activities in a consistent manner over time. The goal of e-accounting is to document an organization's current energy and environmental impact reality and measure progress against that reality.
Environmental auditing is the annual documentation of the e-accounting process, similar to a CPA certifying an organization's annual statement.
Carbon footprint analysis
An organization's “carbon footprint” is the net amount of greenhouse-gas emission for which it is responsible.
A product of the e-accounting process is the total cubic feet of natural gas and kilowatt hours of electricity consumed by an organization. Natural gas and electricity have specific carbon multipliers that result in a “carbon footprint.”
Governments, activists, and investors look for ways to encourage reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions. The current government proposal is known as “cap-and-trade,” which amounts to a carbon emission tax. How cap-and-trade will affect an organization is yet to be determined; proposals range from 14 to 20 percent reduction in emissions by 2020.
The focus of carbon footprint analysis is awareness. Knowing your organization's carbon footprint and how to cope with the ramifications of "cap-in-trade" is a key dynamic in energy decision making.
Corporate sustainability planning
In an era when the current economic and political climate is heavily influenced by environmental, ecological, and natural resource issues, organizations are being challenged to examine the true implications of their business decisions, and to explain these outcomes.
The inclusion of sustainability metrics into an organization's overall strategy allows them to comply with existing regulations, and to improve performance while incorporating sustainability practices into everyday activities.
GreenCents can assist your organization in tracking and measuring key sustainability metrics by using recommended methodologies. It will help identify assets and respond to social, economic, and environmental risks.
Sustainability planning will help your organization gain performance insight to best practices, and it will drive transparency and accountability at all levels.
Sustainability planning is particularly important to recipients of governmental funding and those who wish to bid on government contracts.
Alternate energy feasibility studies and implementation
When the results of GreenCents e-accounting, auditing, carbon footprint analysis, and sustainability planning are in, it is often indicated that alternative energy is the best environmental solution.
When this occurs, GreenCents brings together its business partners to prepare feasibility studies and help with the implementation of appropriate alternate sources of energy.
GreenCents helps arrange for financing, grant writing, design-build service, drafting of bid documents, and requests for proposal in anticipation of a successful implementation.
Energy Awareness Training for Decision Makers
GreenCents offers customized one- and two-day seminars for executives, accountants, and other energy decision makers. An eight-week course in energy awareness is also under development for college and technical students, as well as adult education and CEU credits for other professions.
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