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Notice anything different? GPL Network is responding to Climate Change in a productive, positive and manageable way in the hope of creating awareness within our industry. In response, I am excited to announce that GPL is going “Green” for February and beyond in support of our Carbon Accounting Conferences. Check out our new “Green” homepage at www.gplnetwork.com. We are also proud to announce that we are in the process of having our carbon footprint assessment completed by the Carbon Reduction Institute with the intention of becoming a Carbon Neutral business this month. Be sure to check out the tips from the Institute on how you can work on reducing your green house gas emissions within your business. GPL Network recognises the importance of educating firms on Climate Change and has responded by planning two one day Carbon Accounting Conferences – Melbourne, Monday 25 May and Sydney, Wednesday 27 May. For more information on this event click here. In a recent CPA – In the Black article, titled “Is Green the new Black”, Deborah Tarrant addresses the importance and role of accounting firms going forward. She writes, “What's abundantly clear is that the role of finance professionals and accountants will become increasingly pivotal as changes unfold... Finance professionals will be crucial not only within businesses but for advising others on how to manage their footprints and make investment decisions in the new green world.” Click here to read the full article. We encourage all individuals and firms to take the time to address this subject and recognise the importance this plays in the future of our industry. Enjoy the read! Paul Jansz 
1. What prompted you to become Carbon Neutral and when did you first implement this into the business? Simon Byers, a Senior Accountant in our firm previously worked for a company in the UK which had become Carbon Neutral. It was Simon’s leadership and experience around this subject that brought the idea to the partners of Highview. The entire team then watched An Inconvenient Truth with all staff convinced that this was the way to go. 2. How did you go about finding out more information on the subject, including how your business could become Carbon Neutral? Simon did a lot of research in the area, with government and council websites, but he finally found a Sydney Accounting firm had gone through the process and it was them who recommended the Carbon Reduction Institute who are also based in Sydney. They provided us with all the information we require, including a detailed outline of the process and timeframe. We then engaged to measure our carbon footprint by analysing our utility bills, asset lists, profit & loss and staff travel forms filled out by each staff member. We became the first accounting firm in Victoria to become Carbon Neutral. 3. How have your clients responded to you becoming Carbon Neutral? The feedback we have received has been fantastic and all very positive. Everyone has been very supportive of what we are doing, so this in itself has definitely helped to raise awareness. 4. What were the major changes you had to implement into your firm? As a firm we had to change the way we did things, we now:
5. What has been the greatest challenge and how have you dealt with this? The greatest challenge initially was changing staff habits and the way we operate the office. However, everyone embraced the change very quickly, with it becoming a great team building exercise with rivalry in the office to see who can save the most power and paper. 6. How have you been able to promote being Carbon Neutral in your marketing communication? We have a podcast on the CPA website and an article coming out in the CPA magazine - In the Black in February. We’ve had some local paper coverage and we advertise our Carbon Neutral status on our website, letterhead, business cards and email signatures through logos supplied by the Carbon Reduction Institute. 7. What have been the associated costs with becoming Carbon Neutral? It cost around one thousand dollars to have our carbon footprint assessment completed and the carbon offset credits are relatively minor. In total it costs us approximately two thousand dollars per year to remain Carbon Neutral for a firm our size. The savings in power, gas and paper have far exceeded these costs, not to mention the added benefits of creating a more sustainable future, a happier workforce and exposure to a niche market segment. 8. What has been the greatest benefit to the firm since becoming Carbon Neutral? There has been a definite cost saving, however it is more the fact that we are contributing to the environment which is the main motivating factor. If we can assist or lead others in the same direction that would be fantastic! 9. What prompted you to register for our Carbon Accounting Conference in May this year? Anything that involves this subject is very close to our core values and this is what prompted us the register immediately. We strongly believe this will be a huge growth area and we want to ensure we remain at the forefront as one of the leading firms. It was also our awareness in this area and the fact that we are Carbon Neutral that provoked our interest.
Organisations across the world, ranging from small local businesses to large-scale international enterprises, are increasingly announcing their intention to become ‘carbon neutral’. But despite the term being used frequently, there is still a common misunderstanding about what it means. So what exactly is a carbon neutral business? Carbon neutral refers to an individual, an organisation or even an event that has had its full climate change impact calculated and negated, usually through a combination of reduction measures and carbon offsetting. For an organisation, this typically includes calculating all greenhouse gases related to running the business, such as electricity and gas usage, waste; staff and other business related travel, and embodied emissions in products and services sold and used. The sum of greenhouse gases emitted by a business is called its carbon footprint. Given the complexity of these calculations and also the diversity of operations differing from business to business, a customised carbon audit should always be the first step in becoming carbon neutral. There are different organisations that offer this type of service and it’s worth shopping around for the most comprehensive one to avoid being questioned about the integrity of your claims. A good example for this is energy efficiency. A business that consumes a large amount of electricity can lower its usage and the money spent on power simply by installing energy saving lighting and by making sure all lights are turned off at night when the office is unoccupied. The same goes for all other office appliances such as printers, scanners and even the air conditioner. In any business, there will always be emissions that cannot be reduced, such as the emissions from transporting goods to a store, or the electricity used to power computers throughout the day. Luckily, these emissions can be offset through the purchase of carbon credits. Carbon credits are a mechanism that allows organisations to help reduce greenhouse gases in a project somewhere around the globe equivalent to the emissions it puts out. Carbon credits can be thought of as trading certificates representing one tonne of CO2-equivalent gas each. For example, a business may have had its carbon footprint calculated and determined that it emits 90 tonnes or CO2-e annually through its operations. That business can then choose to purchase 90 carbon credits from a project of its choice, such as a wind farm, or an energy efficiency project, or a methane abatement project, to offset those 90 tonnes. That would make the business carbon neutral. However, there is much more to being carbon neutral than simply installing energy efficient light bulbs and buying carbon credits. On one hand, with becoming carbon neutral comes along a great responsibility to educate staff, implement sustainable practices into ones personal life, and spread the message about the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, becoming carbon neutral brings along great competitive advantages and opens up new markets as consumers and businesses alike increasingly demand carbon neutral products and services. A lot of businesses find that becoming carbon neutral not only improves their public image but also grows their customer base, helps them sell more products and in turn increases profit! In essence, becoming carbon neutral means taking effective action on climate change while growing your business and winning new customers. So what are you waiting for? Greenhouse Gas Reduction Tips for businesses:
*The Carbon Reduction Institute is Australia’s leading carbon management consultancy. Please visit www.noco2.com.au for more information. 
Leadership09 Conference Manager Development Workshops 2009 Carbon Accounting Conference
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