This is BlueAvocado’s first step toward achieving its vision of making the planet millions of pounds lighter (CO₂ emissions) and hundreds of communities stronger (1% of income invested in hundreds of micro—entrepreneurs around the world).  BlueAvocado distributes its products via its website (blueavocado.com) and through major retailers including Whole Foods Market and HEB. In addition they offer private label opportunities, like their partnership with BeGreenNow, for companies and organizations to take a stand for the planet and achieve their business objectives.

BlueAvocado is committed to taking a stand against global warming and is comprehensively calculating and offsetting 100% of the total calculated carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions associated with the production of their bags. The estimated production volume is 20,000 gro-paks from July 2008 to June 2009.

For more information visit: www.blueavocado.com

Client Motivation

At BlueAvocado, they want to make it easy to do good and get it done. They achieve this mission by inspiring, empowering, and enlightening customers with cool products for a hot planet. A key goal for them is to help their customers take that first step on the green journey. In each of their products, customers will see a carbon footprint label that educates them about the carbon they are avoiding with each use, inviting them to “take a stand for the planet.”. This label is the result of an audit conducted by Green Mountain Energy.

Our Challenge

BlueAvocado started its business with being “green” as the core of their business. Our challenge was to give BlueAvocado an easy and cost effective way to meet their environmental goals.

We worked with them to create a CO2 emissions footprint for the production and factory shipment of their bags. We also worked on a special carbon footprint label that’s inside every Blue Avocado bag to help educate customers about the positive environmental impact of gro-pak™ system.

Our Solution

• We measured the emissions impact of their electricity in the factories, as well as the emissions associated with shipping the bags from China to the United States.
• BeGreen estimated the per product footprint of each BlueAvocado bag using standard industry sources, such as WRI GHG Protocols and EPA Climate Leaders guidelines.
• Offset 100% of its CO2 emissions associated with producing and shipping their bags. With this purchase, Blue Avocado helps avoid over 30 metric tons of CO2, a harmful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. This has the same environmental impact as…
  • Driving a car over 75,000 miles
  • Planting over 4,000 trees annually.
  • Recycling over 27,000 pounds of newspaper

Client Testimonial

Founder Paige Davis says, “Our partnership with BeGreen served as a major building block in supporting our goal of creating a sustainable business from inception. With their expertise, we were able to audit our supply chain and measure the carbon impact of product and processes, providing unique transparency in the industry.

Most importantly, our carbon footprint label helps raise awareness among BlueAvocado customers that are taking first steps on their green journey. BeGreen’s amazing team is helping us realize this vision through carbon supply chain audits, impact tracking and continuous reporting. Thanks for making it easy for us to “do good and get it done.”

Services

Carbon offset package
Marketing messaging guidelines

Guidance is committed to taking a stand against global warming and is comprehensively addressing its carbon footprint by calculating and offsetting 100% of the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with the annual electricity, refrigerant, and natural gas use and employee commuting Furthermore, Guidance is offsetting 100% of the electricity for the collocation facility in El Segundo, CA.

For more information visit: www.guidance.com

Carbon offsets are sourced from high quality Renewable Energy Credits and Carbon Offsets from Green Mountain Energy.

Client Motivation

We believe strongly in our role as individuals and as a company to create a sustainable environment. We were motivated to action by one of our clients, Bentley Prince Street – a manufacturer of broadloom and carpet tile products for commercial interiors.  Bentley Prince Street is committed to eliminating any negative impact it has on the environment by the year 2020.  The team told us about its goal in early 2007, and we were so inspired we decided to examine our own practices.  And a new Guidance mission was born.

In March 2007, Guidance employees officially declared that the environment matters to us, as a Business and as individuals.  We signed a declaration to set in motion actions that will help Guidance go green.  Our declaration is posted here http://www.guidance.com/images/green/green.pdf.

We established a Guidance Green committee, formed by Guidance employees who value the importance of living and working in a healthy planet.  Guidance Green’s goal is to discover new ways to help Guidance operate as an environmentally-conscious company, while also participating in community and eco-friendly events.  We also evaluated our consumption of non-renewable resources – energy, paper, plastic and CO2 emissions – and developed strategies for reducing consumption where possible.

We created the Guidance Green blog (http://www.guidancegreen.blogspot.com/) as a way for us to share our journey with others.  It’s a place where all Guidance employees can share their thoughts, what they’ve done, things they’ve learned or anything else green-related.  It’s become our hub, of sorts, and it’s an easy way to make this a collaborative effort and to share ourselves with the outside world.

Our Challenge

Offset 100% of the carbon footprint associated with the electricity, refrigerant, and natural gas use, and employee commuting associated with business operations. Doing so, will enable us to operate as an environmentally aware, carbon-neutral company.  Our goal was to be carbon-neutral by 2009.

Our Solution

Green Mountain Energy’s BeGreen Business division helped Guidance calculate emissions associated with their carbon footprint. The initial achievements include:

• Guidance has significantly reduced its impact on the environment by offsetting 100% of its electricity for 2007and 2008 by purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) made from wind and biomass sources. This commitment has the equivalent environmental benefit of not driving a car over 476,000 miles.
• Guidance is also committed to neutralizing 100% of the emissions created in 2007 and 2008 from the natural gas and refrigerant usage and employee commuting. It has offset 78 metric tons of CO2 through the purchase of carbon offsets.
• In 2008 Guidance expanded their vision to include 100% green website hosting for their clients by offsetting any remaining electricity-related CO2 emissions from their servers to reduce its impact on the environment. Guidance purchased renewable energy credits (RECs) made from wind and biomass sources located throughout the United States, helping avoid an average of more than 52,500 pounds of CO2 emissions annually.  This has the equivalent environmental benefit of not driving a car roughly 58,500 miles.

Client Testimonial
“Aiming for carbon neutrality might sound, at first, like a lofty, pie-in-the-sky goal.  But Green Mountain Energy helped us become carbon neutral in mere months.  Green Mountain’s customizable products make it possible for all companies to turn rhetoric into action and be responsible corporate citizens.  And once we started looking for ways to conserve energy around the office, we found that we have increased efficiencies and reduced costs.”

–Jon Provisor, Guidance co-owner and CTO

Services

Carbon offset package

Marketing messaging guidelines

Alkemist Pharmaceuticals is committed to taking a stand against global warming and is comprehensively addressing its carbon footprint by calculating and offsetting 100% of the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with the annual electricity, refrigerant, and natural gas use, employee commuting and corporate air travel

Carbon offsets are sourced from high quality Renewable Energy Credits and Forest Sequestration Offsets from Green Mountain Energy.

For more information visit: http://www.alkemist.com/

Client Motivation

Elan Sudberg, Lab Manager of Alkemist Pharmaceuticals, has always been a naturalist and is intrigued by the way biological systems succeed with so many opposing variables. As a child he kept small ponds in fish tanks and allowed them to take their own course; sometimes experimenting with intentional imbalances. Today he says it is difficult not to be aware of the imbalances we have inadvertently created for our own “fish tank.” As a contributing factor in the various environmental issues, he feels that it is his responsibility to be accountable in some way. For him, going carbon neutral is a great way moving forward to attempt to undo the harmful byproducts of running a business.

Our Challenge

Offset 100% of the carbon footprint associated with the electricity, refrigerant, and natural gas use,employee commuting and corporate air travel associated with business operations.

Our Solution

Green Mountain Energy’s BeGreen Business division helped Alkemist Pharmaceuticals calculate emissions associated with their carbon footprint. The initial achievements include:

Alkemist Pharmaceuticals has significantly reduced its impact on the environment by offsetting 100% of its electricity and refrigerant usage for half of 2007and half of 2008 by purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) made from wind sources. This commitment has the equivalent environmental benefit of not driving a car almost 30,000 miles.

Alkemist Pharmaceuticals is also committed to neutralizing 100% of the emissions created in 2007 from the natural gas usage, employee commuting and corporate air travel. It has offset 21 metric tons of CO₂ through the purchase of Forest Sequestration Offsets, which will be used to plant trees in the Mendocino National Forest Hunter Fire Restoration Project through Green Mountain’s forest sequestration partner, American Forests.

Client Testimonial

“Working with the team at Green Mountain Energy to take my company carbon neutral has been a surprisingly simple process. A straight forward questionnaire was provided and completed within days.

They returned to me a clear and cost effective plan of action to accomplish our environmental goals. I am still baffled about how easy the entire process was and don’t know why more companies don’t take the same action. Looking back, I should have done this years ago.”

Services

• Carbon offset package
• Marketing messaging guidelines

By committing to cleaner Green Mountain Energy™ electricity, Method takes aim at global warming by offsetting their corporate carbon footprint. Founded in 2000, Method is the leading innovator of premium home care products. Method can be found in over 20,000 retail locations throughout the US, Canada, and the U.K. Major retailers include Target, Wegman’s, Costco, CVS, Safeway, Albertson’s, Duane Reade, Waitrose, and Shoppers Drug Mart.

For more information visit: http://www.methodhome.com/

Services

• Carbon Offset Package
• Marketing Messaging
  Guidelines

Our Challenge

Offset 100% of the carbon footprint associated with the electricity and natural gas generation at Method’s corporate headquarters and Chicago office, as well as the electricity needed to make their products at all 13 manufacturing facilities. Method also wanted to offset the carbon emissions associated with their employee commuting and air travel.

Our Solution

Green Mountain Energy Company’s new BeGreen Business division helped Method develop and execute a program to offset its carbon footprint from business operations by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s) and Forest Sequestration Offsets. Method is taking a comprehensive approach to addressing its carbon footprint. In addition to offsetting electricity and natural gas usage for both its San Francisco and Chicago offices, Method is offsetting all of the electricity used to manufacture products at its 13 facilities around the country. The company is also offsetting all of its employee commuting and travel

Using Wind Energy to Offset Emissions Associated with Electricity Usage

Wind energy RECs were used to offset the estimated emissions from Method’s electricity usage for their corporate headquarters in San Francisco, CA and satellite office in Chicago, IL, as well the electricity used to create their products at 13 different manufacturing locations around the country.

RECs are an innovative means to offset the carbon emissions impact on the environment associated with electricity consumption. By purchasing REC’s, Method is helping to avoid over 950,000 pounds of CO2 emissions in just one year – as much as a car would produce in over 1 million miles of driving. The wind energy credits purchased by Method were sourced from projects located in the Northwestern region of the U.S. With the help of eMission Solutions, Method was able to achieve these important environmental benefits – cost effectively, and independently of Method’s retail power supply.

Taking Advantage of Forest Sequestration to Neutralize Other Emissions

Trees planted through Green Mountain’s partnership with American Forests will help offset the estimated emissions associated with Method’s natural gas usage at their corporate offices, and employee commuting and air travel. BeGreen Business worked with Method and American Forests to select urban forest projects in Chicago, IL, near Method’s Midwest office, because a good portion of the company’s air travel emissions are generated from flights in and out of Chicago.

Tree planting project in process.

Client Testimonial

“Green Mountain Energy Company was instrumental in Method achieving it’s goal of using renewable energy in it’s operations and becoming carbon neutral. Green Mountain brought expertise in mapping a carbon footprint and immersed itself in method’s supply chain to detail exactly where method’s footprint was coming from. Armed with that information, Green Mountain and Method worked together to develop a portfolio of wind power and reforestation projects that fit with Method’s sustainability goals. Green Mountain made the seemingly daunting process of mapping a company’s carbon footprint easier and got Method to renewables faster.”

By committing to cleaner Green Mountain Energy™ electricity, Kiehl’s Since 1851 offsets the electricity usage from 10 of their stores.

Kiehl’s Since 1851 – An “old-world apothecary” based in New York’s east village who specializes in high end skin, hair and body care products that are made with the finest ingredients. Their unique, extensive background represents a blend of cosmetic, pharmaceutical, herbal, and medicinal knowledge developed and passed on through the generations.

Kiehl’s is committed to philanthropy and stewardship and has made a strong commitment to purchase renewable energy for all of their stores throughout the U.S.

Services

• Carbon Consultation
• Communications
• Carbon Offset Package

Our Challenge

Enhance the portfolio of Kiehl’s existing sustainability practices by offsetting the electricity usage of ten of their store locations with renewable energy.

Our Solution

Renewable energy comes from less-polluting sources and is replenished naturally – examples include wind, solar and low-impact hydro facilities.

The energy purchase helps these 10 stores reduce their share of pollution from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. By buying renewable energy, these Kiehl’s stores together, will help avoid over 613,000 pounds of CO2 pollution — as much air pollution as is generated annually by almost 55 cars – equivalent to not driving approximately 681,000 miles.

This solution combined with green power contracts already in place at other Kiehl’s stores means that all of Kiehl’s stores are using renewable energy to offset all of the pollution created by their electricity usage.

Client Testimonial

“There’s now positive proof of climate change,” said Philip Clough, president of Kiehl’s Since 1851.

“We all need to act now as this issue has become critical. The transition to green power is not only highly effective in reducing emissions, it’s a step strongly supported by our staff and our patrons.”

The N9NE Group Takes Aim at Global Warming by Offsetting Corporate Carbon Footprint.

The N9NE Group was founded in 1992 by pioneering entertainment entrepreneurs Michael Morton and Scott DeGraff. The restaurant and nightlife company’s venues include locations in Las Vegas, Chicago, and Dallas. The N9NE Group’s dynamic Las Vegas destinations are located in the Palms Casino Resort and include N9NE Steakhouse, Nove Italiano, MOON Nightclub, Rain Nightclub, ghostbar, the world’s only Playboy Club, and the Palms Pool & Bungalows. The N9NE Group is committed to taking a stand against global warming and is comprehensively addressing its carbon footprint by calculating and offsetting 100% of the total carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions associated with the annual electricity, refrigerant, and natural gas use for six of its seven Las Vegas venues.

Carbon offsets are sourced from high quality Renewable Energy Credits and Forest Sequestration Offsets from Green Mountain Energy.

For more information visit: www.n9negroup.com

Services

• Carbon offset package
• Marketing messaging guidelines

Our Challenge

Offset 100% of the carbon footprint associated with the electricity, refrigerant, and natural gas consumption at six of the N9NE Group’s Las Vegas venues including N9NE Steakhouse, Nove Italiano, Rain Nightclub, ghostbar, MOON Nightclub, and Playboy Club.

Our Solution

Green Mountain Energy’s BeGreen Business division helped the N9NE Group calculate emissions associated with six of its venues and is working with the company on a long-term comprehensive emissions reduction plan. The initial achievements include:

• The N9NE Group has significantly reduced its impact on the environment by offsetting 100% of its electricity usage for 2007 by purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) made from wind and biomass sources. This commitment has the equivalent environmental benefit of not driving a car roughly 3.4 million miles.
• The N9NE Group is also committed to neutralizing 100% of the emissions created in 2007 from the natural gas usage of the same six venues. It has offset over 490 metric tons of CO2 through the purchase of Forest Sequestration Offsets, which will be used to plant trees in the Mendocino National Forest Hunter Fire Restoration Project through Green Mountain’s forest sequestration partner, American Forests.

Client Testimonial

“It’s extremely motivating to know our efforts have a tangible impact and will positively affect the environment for years to come. By working with Green Mountain Energy, we have planted more than 19,000 trees and directly funded alternative energy sources, including the AMP-Ohio/Green Mountain Energy Wind Farm. We are investing in renewable energy production because we believe that enabling renewable energy to compete in the current marketplace is equally as important as research.” – Jenna Morton, Community Affairs Director