2012-As awareness of the impact of greenhouse gas emissions has reached global levels, a new business concept based in northern BC is showing that individual companies can make a difference by reducing their fuel consumption which in turn, reduces the harmful emissions.
Created in 2011, the Carbon Offset Aggregation Cooperative of BC is the first of its kind in the world, providing the framework for owners of heavy equipment and trucks to create, aggregate and sell carbon offsets. Equipment modification and operator awareness training are used to reduce fuel emissions from vehicles and equipment. The fuel savings are measured in the form of carbon offsets which are aggregated and sold by the cooperative on the world market. Proceeds of the sale are returned to co-op members as dividends, less a percentage which remains with cooperative to cover administration costs.
What began as an idea and gathering of potential stakeholders quickly progressed to the development of a formal protocol for converting fuel savings into carbon offsets. Recognizing the tremendous short- and long-term economic benefits to the forestry and transportation firms that employ thousands of people in central and northern BC, Northern Development Initiative Trust provided funding toward the protocol development. It was developed by Dr. Jurg Grutter of Switzerland, a world expert on transportation protocols, and accepted by the Ministry of Environment’s Climate Action Secretariat in July, 2011.
Pilot studies were conducted and by September, 2011, a five year agreement was established between the Carbon Offset Aggregation Cooperative of BC and the provincial government to sell carbon offsets through the Province’s newly created Pacific Carbon Trust.
