Calculating your Rotary Club’s carbon footprint

Global warming and Climate Change are having a significant impact on our planet and all living things. At the UN COP26 event at Glasgow there was universal agreement on the need to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Whilst there has been a focus on Governments and corporations to take action, surely we can help.

Most of us going about our daily lives cause greenhouse gas emissions. You may have seen carbon emission values on your power bill or airline ticket. But let’s not forget the impact of our Rotary activities, our club meetings, projects and conferences

Yes ! Carbon dioxide emissions do occur when we all meet at our Rotary Club. These result from the way we travel to the meeting; the type of electricity used for lighting, presentations, and heat control; even the food we eat and how it is cooked. Projects and conferences may also involve significant travel. Whilst we don’t want to stop any of these activities, we should recognise what is occurring and consider sensible changes to reduce our footprint.

Over the last eighteen months an ESRAG international team from New Zealand, Australia, UK, and the US developed the idea of creating a tool that could properly estimate the carbon footprint of your Rotary club. This idea has now been extended for the Oceania region with the backing of an international environmental consultancy using certifiable emission factors. There is a pathway for other regions to develop a calculator with appropriate emission factors.

The major sources of emissions for Clubs are:

Travel to meetings, events and projects
Meals and drinks
Electricity and other power sources at the venue
Overnight accommodation and air travel for projects and conferences
Waste.

The calculator uses data collected by the Club to provide a detailed report showing the source of carbon emissions, allowing the development of an effective emissions reduction plan. It is anticipated that Clubs will also seek to offset any remaining emissions by investing in carbon credits or carbon reduction projects typically tree planting or forest regeneration.

Details about the calculator, data collection forms, as well as reduction and offset tips can be found on our website <www.esragoceania.org>

ESRAG Oceania is launching the Carbon Calculator for the use by any Club in Australia and New Zealand on the 19th May