Posts of Press

Earth Hour 2010 Free Event

2010-03-09T08:54:51.948Z

;width:300;wrap:true;" width="300" height="250" style="display:inline;float:right;margin:5px 0 5px 20px;" class="igm" /> In 2009 hundreds of millions of people around the world showed their support by turning off their lights for one hour.

Earth Hour 2010 will continue to be a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future.

Heart of Auckland City and CBD business leaders are working together to encourage Auckland businesses and residents to turn off their lights for one hour, to celebrate Auckland City being the official New Zealand host of Earth Hour 2010.

At 8.30pm on Saturday March 27^th 2010, Auckland City along with cities and towns in New Zealand and across the world will turn off their lights for one hour. The purpose, to send a powerful global message that together we can take action on climate change.

Heart of Auckland City, CEO Alex Swney says that by participating in Earth Hour 2010, Auckland City businesses and residents can show their support for this global cause by taking action en masse and reducing the carbon emissions of our city.

“New Zealand will be the first country in the world to turn off their lights for Earth Hour 2010. With all eyes on Auckland City, we have the opportunity to set the benchmark for participation worldwide” says Swney.

To celebrate Earth Hour, from 7:30pm Saturday March 27^th, Green Carbon will be working with Heart of the City to offset the carbon emissions for a free Earth Hour event at Takutai Lawn in Britomart.

The free event will have live entertainment and will be a gathering point in Auckland City to view the Sky Tower lighting display and watch Auckland plunge into darkness.

Come join like minded people for a fun night of music, entertainment and awareness.

To find out more as to what Earth Hour is please click here.

Green Carbon and Trelise Cooper partner to do “Green Business”

2010-02-09T23:09:58.631Z

Fashion designer Trelise Cooper and Managing Director of Green Carbon Seeby Woodhouse have partnered together to offset the carbon footprint of the Trelise Cooper head office and her New Zealand retail outlets.

The two well-known Kiwi entrepreneurs met early in 2008 and embarked on a journey to measure and manage Cooper’s business emissions.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Seeby Woodhouse and his team to make steps towards developing an eco-friendly business. When I read about Green Carbon and its initiatives to help businesses address their environmental responsibility I felt it aligned with my own passion to help the environment,” says Cooper.

Green Carbon surveyed the Trelise Cooper business, calculating carbon emissions from the Trelise Cooper head office and all New Zealand retail outlets thus reaching the Green Carbon Certified – “Carbon Friendly” status. To date 131 Tonnes worth of New Zealand Landfill Carbon Credits have been purchased by the Cooper business and are retired on the Markit Environmental Registry.

Director and founder of Green Carbon Seeby Woodhouse was delighted to work with Cooper on this worthwhile project.

“It was a pleasure to work with one of New Zealand’s top designers and businesswoman. It was evident right from the start that Trelise had a genuine passion to play her own part in helping to protect the environment. Her follow through to offsetting her greenhouse gas emissions and her previous involvement with the Trelise Cooper Eco Bag is a testament to this. We plan to continue working with the Trelise Cooper team into 2010 and beyond,” he says.

“We’re also seeing more and more evidence of consumers paying attention to the eco values and transparency of a business or product.” says Woodhouse.

According to a report conducted by Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), almost 90% of the U.S. population state that it is important for companies to be mindful of their impact on the environment and society. While just over 70% of consumers indicate that knowing a company is mindful of their impact on the environment and society makes them more likely to buy their products or services.

A further eco initiative for Trelise Cooper is the release of her third eco shopping bag design for Progressive Enterprises. The eco bag is launching in supermarkets nationwide this week following fantastic responses to previous designs.

Green Carbon continues to work with a number of Kiwi businesses promoting a low carbon economy through the reduction and offsetting of carbon footprints. Woodhouse hopes to see more companies becoming part of the solution to climate change and minimising harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

www.eventfinder.co.nz

2009-09-08T21:13:44.559Z

It is our pleasure to introduce and add to our growing list of clients and business support partners; www.eventfinder.co.nz, an events calendar that focuses on what’s going on around New Zealand. Eventfinder is currently by far the most popular NZ events website with about 120,000 people visiting each month.

"Eventfinder is proud to have taken the first step in understanding the adverse effects our business operations have on the environment. It is important for us to see what we are doing and put in place management systems to try and reduce these effects. Here at Eventfinder we plan to build in the near future a facility to enable all events listed with us the opportunity to help the environment. This can be done by measuring, managing, and mitigating their carbon footprint through Green Carbon's reputable certification scheme, thus spreading the message of sustainability to the wider community. We're very excited to be able to play our part in the world wide journey of climate change." - James McGlinn, CTO.

As people congregate to events; emissions will arise from the use of petrol. While people are at events; emissions will arise from consumption of electricity and waste. Want to do something about this? Irrespective of size, Green Carbon can help reverse adverse effects to the environment simply, easily, and cost efficiently for you.

We here at Green Carbon look forward to some of the exciting new opportunities that shall arise through this close business relationship.

Still a Climate Change Skeptic?

2009-09-08T21:46:44.311Z

Click here to see a scientists view on global warming portrayed in a way everyone can understand. This clip deals with the fact that we should not be debating whether global warming is real or not, but with the risk management strategies we should be taking, regardless what the outcome may be!

2009-08-11 Commerce Commission: Guidelines for Carbon Claims

2009-08-11T02:44:08.613Z

The Commerce Commission has this week released the final version of the 'Guidelines for Carbon Claims' as it relates to the Fair Trading Act. A draft version was issued earlier in the year as a way to seek consultation from the industry and the wider public. We are happy to see that some of our input & recommendations have been taken into consideration within the final version.

We recommend any business or person considering undergoing any carbon management or certification programme to understand these guidelines. The document can be downloaded from the Commerce Commission website here.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.

G-Race Pro Cycling Team Sponsorship

2009-07-16T22:03:29.035Z

Green Carbon is excited to be a sponsor of the G-Race pro cycling team, the first ever New Zealand professional track cycling team to be registered with the International Cycling Union. This team is currently made up of 9 riders with extreme talent and three support staff. Among an impressive list of achievements, 18 year old Sam Webster recently recorded the third fastest time ever by a New Zealand rider in the 200 metre time trial. This time would have placed him 12th at the Olympics, which is remarkable given his age. Having achieved these results as amateur athletes, the mind boggles at the thought of what could be achieved if these riders are given the same opportunities as professional riders.

The primary goal of this team is to give more New Zealand cyclists the opportunity to race on track cycling's 'World Cup' circuit . Additionally this is a chance to build up the experience and knowledge for the riders needed in order to compete at the London 2012 Olympics. The team are also passionate about promoting the need for change in the environmental space both locally and internationally, as such Green Carbon are proud to assist them on their journey. As part this they will measure and offset all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that will result from them competing over the next year . Green Carbon knows they are doing some awesome things , showing off the benefits of incorporating environmental & sustainable thinking into everyday life activities.

The G-Race Pro Cycling team ' s first appearance since their formation was at the Cycling Southland Mid-Winter Carnival down in Invercargill a few weeks ago. Team star Sam Webster won the feature race of the night, the Invitation Keirin Race; a 6 man sprint, followed closely by team mates Andy Williams in 2nd and Ethan Mitchell in 4th. The G-Race team dominated, even against the New Zealand’s Senior World Championship riders, which is a good sign of things to come. Andy Williams was also narrowly beaten into 2nd place in the 6 lap Handicap final by New Zealand’s World Championship representative Eddie Dawkins after starting near the back of the field.

It's currently exciting times as Webster and Mitchell compete for New Zealand in the Junior World Championships in Moscow next month, where they will look to capitalise on their current good form. They are regarded as being amongst the favourites for the sprint events which are usually dominated by the powerful Australian and European teams.

The G-Race Pro Cycling Team is a team with massive potential, but still require additional financial support in order to make it to races. With a team so loaded with talent, they will no doubt be under the spotlight. For further enquires on how you could be involved in this opportunity, please contact either Justin Grace on 021 324 448 or Joshua Rea on 021 822 978.

Picture: Ethan Mitchell: 2009 Youth Olympics medallist, NZ Champion, and G-Race Pro Team rider

World’s largest Forestry AAU Transaction– 520,000 Forestry AAUs SOLD!

2009-07-29T22:33:53.200Z

The world’s largest transaction to date involving a purchase and sale of forestry AAUs from New Zealand has just taken place. This is also the first purchase of forestry AAUs from New Zealand by a European Buyer.

A European Buyer has purchased approximately 520,000 forestry AAUs from the New Zealand forestry company, Ernslaw One Limited. The AAUs have been awarded under New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) where they were awarded as NZUs which have now been converted into AAUs. While the Scheme is currently under review forestry owners have already received units and been part of the NZ ETS since 2008. With the domestic market in New Zealand in a state of uncertainty, forestry owners in New Zealand are starting to look offshore to monetise their forestry AAUs. The deal was advised by New Zealand carbon brokerage company Carbon Market Solutions Ltd who have a successful track record in advising large carbon credit transactions from New Zealand.

The particular transaction is significant because it shows that there is a demand for high quality New Zealand forestry AAUs from international buyers demonstrating that the NZ ETS provides a transparent and accountable system for forestry projects, with long-term commitments and liabilities for the forest owners, which helps to ensure the environmental integrity of the AAUs.

Ernslaw One Limited is one of the largest owners of private Kyoto compliant forest in New Zealand, having undertaken afforestation projects to establish 27,780 stocked hectares of which approximately 11,000 hectares are planted in longer rotation Douglas-fir, the balance being in radiate pine. All the forests owned by Ernslaw One Ltd are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and independently audited.

Thomas Song, Managing Director of Ernslaw One Limited said "We are delighted to have been able to conclude this deal. This deal demonstrates that there is significant interest internationally in forestry AAUs from New Zealand. We see this as a great boost to the forestry industry in New Zealand and a cost-effective way to involve the forestry industry in climate change mitigation. We look forward to managing these forests for the benefit of the global environment.

John O’Brien, Managing Director of Carbon Market Solutions Ltd, the company which brokered the deal said "It is fantastic to be able to demonstrate that New Zealand forestry AAUs are a sought after commodity in international carbon markets and that forestry can play an increasing role in global efforts to mitigate climate change. We are very pleased to have been able to have advised this ground breaking transaction."

The name of the buyer and the price of the sale of AAUs is undisclosed.

www.carbonmarketsolutions.com

2009-06-17 Carbon Friendly Drinks & Cityhop

2009-07-05T22:42:52.859Z

June was also home to our second 'Carbon Friendly Drinks', which are networking events that we hold to enable like minded people to mingle. Additionally we minimise the impact of the event on the environment by offsetting the carbon footprint of the attendees.

Thank you to all who attended. It was great to see and hear some of the buzz from the various discussions and lively [constructive] debates around sustainability strategies and economic growth. A special thanks goes to our guest speaker Victoria Carter, CEO of Cityhop who provided an enlightening history and evolution of New Zealand's first car sharing service, www.cityhop.co.nz.

So what's Cityhop? If you didn't make it to our event, then you are probably wondering how a car sharing service like Cityhop works. How is that different to other car rentals? Here's a quick overview:

- Cars are located at designated car parks in and around the City.
- Book the times you want the car for (by the hour) either online or by phone
- Make your way to the car, swipe a special access card to unlock and off you go.
- Once done, you return the car back to its original parking spot for the next person to use.
- The hourly pricing is all inclusive, so there's no need to worry about fuel, insurance or maintenance of the car.

And why it is good for the environment?

- The cars in the fleet are Daihatsu Sirions or Mitsubishi i-cars, both of which are very low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, amongst other eco-friendly qualities.
- It also gives people additional choice of not needing to own that second car, or even a car at all.
- Research conducted by US-based Zipcar, the world's largest car-share firm, found that every car in such a programme takes 20 privately-owned cars of the road. Less cars, less emissions.

If you want to learn more or find out if there is a business case for your business please don't hesitate to drop us a line.

Here are some photos from the event.

Bridget Saunders with Victoria Carter, CEO of Cityhop

Karen Morfett & Seeby Woodhouse

2009-07-13 Green Carbon supports Carpool Day 2009 on August 5, 2009

2009-07-13T07:23:29.881Z

Green Carbon is proud to support and promote Carpool Day 2009 happening in Auckland on Wednesday August 5, 2009. We believe that these types of grass root initiative are key if we are to make an impact and permanently change the status quo. Purely from a climate change perspective, even if this only removes 1,000 cars off the daily workers commute, that would be over 880 tonnes of CO2 emissions less per year *. For context, roughly 154,000 vehicles cross the Auckland harbour bridge every day.

If you live in Auckland and want to make a difference, make your pledge now. It's super simple, so have a go and have fun.

Why Carpool?

If you're an Aucklander, then you know, like the rest of Auckland, that there are too many cars on the road, and for many of you, public transport is not a viable option. You also know that the situation is not likely to improve any time soon. Guess what? There is an alternative. And it's not even that hard! For one day, you can try out making a difference to the Auckland traffic situation and to your pocket. On Wednesday August 5, 2009, the first ever Carpool Day will be happening in Auckland. Why don't you come and be part of it?

Spread the word - how to get others involved!

Carpool Day 2009 is a chance for all Aucklanders to have a go at carpooling and really make a difference to our traffic issues for a day. Here are some tips to get others involved:

Tell all your friends and family about Carpool Day, when it is and how to pledge. Talk about the benefits of carpooling (we have some key points to refresh your memory below) and how Carpool Day is a "Have A Go" day.

Send an email to all your friends and family about Carpool Day. Sample email available

Your workplace may have a person or committee who oversees environmental issues - contact them and tell them about Carpool Day. They will be able to promote Carpool Day at work.

Tell your workmates about Carpool Day and how to go about pledging to carpool.

Print off the Carpool Day poster and put it up at work.

Contact the Carpool Day team and become part of our volunteer network - help us make Carpool Day a huge success!

Carpooling Benefits

The benefits of carpooling are many, but some that are most often reported include:

Savings — in some cases dramatic — on the costs of commuting

A faster and less stressful journey by using the the T2/T3 transit (carpool) lanes

Less wear and tear on your vehicle

Less stressful commuting/less driving

Reduced traffic congestion and fuel consumption

Helping to keep the air clean **

Unexpected benefits like making new friends and keeping more consistent work hours

The Inspiration and the Team

Sarah Painter. I’m the one who came up with the crazy idea of having Carpool Day! I’m seriously passionate about the environment and always have been. Every day I’m on the look-out for ways to be greener and ways to make it easier for others to do so too. I really believe that every little thing we do to help the environment makes a difference – including carpooling on Carpool Day.

Following suit are

Sandy McGivern

Arwen Vant

Ian Lightbody

Roger Woodroofe

Jane Clark

and growing...

Read more about the team of volunteers here.

Sharing your stories or getting involved.

Sarah & her team are inviting people to share any carpooling stories you have before Carpool Day - have you tried carpooling before? What happened? They are looking for funny or inspiring stories to publish in their next newsletter. Send it now.

If you or your business want to get involved, I am sure Sarah and her team would love to hear from you.

* Calculation based on:

Average driving distance of 11,000 km per year with 1/3 related to work. (source, MoT: Household Travel Survey v1.2 Revised May 2007)

Emissions factors for default vehicle (source, MfE: Guidance for voluntary, corporate greenhouse gas reporting, Data and Methods for the 2007 Calender Year).

** Some statistics:

Emissions from vehicle exhausts contain carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, all of which are greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Approximately 16 per cent of New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from road transport (MfE, 2008)

There are other emissions which are not deemed GHG but are certainly unhealthy. These include Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen oxide (NOx) and Sulphur dioxide (SO2). In Auckland, motor vehicles contribute to the majority of CO (84%) and NOx (80%). (MfE Auckland 1993 inventory).

2009-06-29 State of the Voluntary Carbon Market

2009-07-05T22:51:58.068Z

If you haven't already picked up on this, last month saw the release of the '2009 State of the voluntary Carbon Market', which is an annual report produced by EcosystemMarketplace on the global carbon markets (available here). Green Carbon was amongst those surveyed from around the world to provide insight into what has been happening over the last year and forecast for the future. Some key points of interest:

- The voluntary market continues to double in size again from last year (now est at USD 700M), but still form only a fraction of the overall carbon market (est USD 120 B). This is a clear sign of the sure momentum behind this market and its continued growth into the future.

- Asia and the US account for over 70% of credit origination in the market.

- With Europe and the US making up over 90% of the purchases. An interesting observation particularly for NZ exporter or those looking to expand overseas, as to the interest placed by these markets on carbon.

- Not suprisingly, the commentary on the NZ market was referred to as the "Great Barren Reef". A reflection of the "pause" button hit on the NZ carbon market when the ETS was put under review.

It is a complex and evolving market. That is why here at Green Carbon, we take pride in providing a clear framework to help your business navigate towards success in a low carbon economy of the future.

2009-06-01 Green Carbon now in Parnell, Auckland

2009-07-05T22:37:26.078Z

June was a busy month for the Green Carbon team. We have been juggling a move into our new office, cityside which is now suitably sized for our growing team. Our new abode is located at:

Level 3, 272 Parnell Road

Parnell

Auckland 1052

New Zealand

along with our new phone number, +64 9 929 4530.

As we are now more central and also more settled in, we'd love to have you visit to see how we can be of service.

2009-03-17 Carbon Friendly Drinks Networking Event.

2009-04-15T01:46:26.824Z

Coinciding with Green Carbon's one year anniversary (which also happens to be St Patrick's Day) since the official launch of Green Carbon, March 17th was the perfect opportunity to bring together current customers, potential customers and business partners. The event was aptly named "Carbon Friendly Drinks", as the estimated carbon emissions of the attendees travelling to and from the event are offset, thus minimising the impact of the event on the environment.

The event was a great success made possible not only because of the fantastic venue, but also the panel of guest speakers. The Wharf which is one of several venues owned by The Orange Group who are a client of Green Carbon, is located at Northcote Point on the North Shore with a breath taking view of the Auckland Harbour bridge. It was the perfect setting for 'green minded' people to mingle and share their experiences of their carbon journey or sustainable business endeavours.

Amongst the businesses who attended included:

- Clarkson Electrical, a nationwide electrical services and support company (www.clarkson.co.nz)

- Eventfinder, online nationwide events web portal provider (www.eventfinder.co.nz)

- Insurer Services, insurance brokers (www.i-s.co.nz)

- URS, global environmental engineers & consultants (www.urscorp.co.nz)

- NZ Fresh Cuts, sustainable & innovative fresh foods (www.nzfreshcuts.co.nz)

- Idealog, NZ Business innovation and ideas magazine (www.idealog.co.nz)

just to name a few.

It simply reflects the diversity across industry sectors who are taking a serious look at what they can do about climate change.

The guest speakers included Stephen Dench, Managing Director of NZ Fresh Cuts, sharing with the audience their sustainability and carbon journey over the last year. Providing illustrations of projects they have undertaken and showing real business value they have gained. Not only in reduction of carbon emissions, but increased productivity, efficiency and ultimately the bottom line. It is clear that they are leading the way for the fresh food & salad industry not only here in New Zealand but also abroad.

And of course, Dr Russel Norman, Co-leader of the Green Party for his passionate view on what is required to invigorate New Zealand not only during these tough economic times but beyond. Along the lines of needing a 'Green New Deal', where investments are made towards sustainable 'infrastructure'. Not referring to roads which is often synonymous with that term but things like public transport, fresh water delivery, renewable power generation, sustainable farming solutions.

Green Carbon believes that now is the time to take action and are poised to help businesses, large and small on their journey.

The Green Carbon Team (from left), Josh, Seeby, Karen, Russel (Green Party) & Adrian

2008-03-17 - Seeby Woodhouse Launches Company Green Carbon

2008-11-25T06:10:05.157Z

St Patrick’s Day March 17th will see the celebration of a new kind of green as new company ‘Green Carbon Ltd’ is launched at the Westin Hotel.

Seeby Woodhouse, founder and director of the new company will be joined by Leader of the National Party John Key and CEO of the Sustainable Business Council Peter Neilson to celebrate the launch of one of New Zealand’s first ever certified carbon credit trading companies.

In the past 18 years New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 28%. Under the Kyoto Protocol New Zealand has until 2012 to limit its levels of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels or will face serious environmental and economic consequences. Green Carbon is designed to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint, by providing New Zealand companies with internationally certified carbon credits which prove they’ve embarked on the processes of achieving carbon neutrality.

“Our mission is to help businesses change the way they think about the environment and make positive steps towards a low-carbon economy. Green Carbon provides a simple pathway for New Zealand businesses to offset their greenhouse gas emissions and become carbon neutral,” says Woodhouse.
Leader of the opposition John Key welcomes the launch of Green Carbon, “Green Carbon has an ambitious and worthy vision for helping kiwi businesses become carbon friendly. This initiative is a great example of how NZ entrepreneurs can tap into the economic opportunities posed by a carbon conscious world,” says Key.

Seeby Woodhouse speaking at the Green Carbon launch

New company director, North Shore entrepreneur Seeby Woodhouse is best known for starting up and running a number of businesses over the years, including internet service provider company Orcon which he built from inception into a multi-million dollar business. In 2007 Woodhouse sold Orcon to Kordia for $24.3M. In 2004 he was also recognized as the New Zealand Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Hi-Tech Young Achiever of the Year.

With Orcon behind him, Woodhouse developed an increasing interest into Global Warming and the environment and decided to investigate business ideas within eco and sustainable industries. Woodhouse has consequently sold up all other business interests to focus on his new venture Green Carbon.
Woodhouse believes that solutions to global warming will come from commercial realities and consumer desires, rather than government legislation and intervention, “It’s just a matter of time before all smart companies realize that going Green is most definitely good for business. Consumers are increasingly influenced by the want to buy products that are eco friendly and sustainable. And so to there is a growing expectation that the retailers and companies behind these companies are responsible for their environmental output,” he says.

When purchasing carbon credits from Green Carbon your company will first undergo a process to calculate your emissions - the result is your ‘carbon footprint’. Then the corresponding number of carbon credits will be recommended to offset your carbon footprint, resulting in the company’s new status of ‘Carbon Neutral’. This enables sustainability reporting on greenhouse gas [GHG] emission performance with increased consistency and transparency.

“All businesses are responsible to some degree for the emission of greenhouse gases. I hope that Green Carbon will proceed a simple yet meaningful solution for New Zealand businesses to implement better sustainable business practices and promote the process and review of sustainable development,” says Woodhouse.

74% of the British Population say that more information on a company's social and ethical behaviour would influence their purchasing decisions. MORI, CSR study 2003.

Seeby Woodhouse and John Key at the Green Carbon launch

A short video clip of the launch event is available at YouTube here.

2009-03-28 Earth Hour New Zealand

2009-04-15T03:16:24.008Z

At 8.30pm Saturday 28 March, New Zealanders in 44 cities, towns and regions supported the World Wide Fund for Nature's Earth Hour 2009 by turning off their lights and non-essential appliances, joining nearly 3000 towns and cities and a billion people around the world.

It was said by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), that if every New Zealand household switched off their lights and non-essential appliances for Earth Hour, the country could save up to $500,000!

EECA chief executive Mike Underhill said that by plunging cities and towns into darkness, Earth Hour illustrated the power of collective action to reduce energy use and carbon emissions.

"It's easy for people to feel overwhelmed when they are faced with the challenge of climate change, but Earth Hour is an opportunity to see very vividly the impact humans can have when they act with common purpose," he said.

Events were held throughout the country. A free Earth Hour concert was held in Cathedral Square in Christchurch and the lights will go out in Dunedin's Octagon.

Queenstown and Wanaka residents who made an Earth Hour pledge were rewarded with free energy-efficient light bulbs from Energy Mad, and the Queenstown Lakes District Council invited people to take a candle and join an informal celebration at Earnslaw Park in Queenstown.

Several bars in Wanaka's main street used candles during the hour, whilst residents walked up Mt Iron to watch the lights go out.

In Antarctica, New Zealand's 26-member winter team at Scott Base, where temperatures are close to -30 degrees Celsius, shut down to minimum safety lighting and switched off all unnecessary appliances and computers.

In fact, as Yahoo.com reported, from an Antarctic research base to the Great Pyramids of Egypt and beyond, the world switched off the lights on Saturday night, dimming skyscrapers, city streets and famous monuments for 60 minutes to highlight the threat of climate change.

Perhaps the happiest Earth Hour participants were the residents of Calgary, in Canada, whose electricity consumption during Earth Hour fell 1 per cent. According to the Calgary Herald, the drop was much less impressive than other Canadian cities, such as Toronto, where energy use was reportedly down 15 per cent. But it was a lot less embarrassing than Calgary's inaugural attempt last year, when it became the only known city in Canada where energy consumption actually rose (3.6 per cent) during Earth Hour.

Even China took part this year for the first time, cutting lights at Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium and Water Cube, the most prominent 2008 Olympic Games venues.

Earth Hour began two years ago in Sydney. Since then, it has spread around the world. How much power this all saves, let alone carbon, would seem not to be the point. It is all about the message that is being sent - the symbolism.

The World Wide Fund for Nature's New Zealand executive director, Chris Howe, says Earth Hour sent "a strong signal to the Government that as a nation we care about and want action on climate change''.

The fund's global director, Andy Ridley, says while the organisers were worried that the global economic crisis would distract people from taking part, the opposite happened. It featured street parties rather than protests as people tried to dispel their financial despair.

WWF's Dairne Poole, New Zealand's Earth Hour project director, said the event had "exploded" this year, in New Zealand and globally.

"If we collectively take small steps together, on an ongoing basis, we really can effect positive change."

http://www.earthhour.org/news/nz:en

Watch the Earth Hour Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bBJ9lSSUW4

Source: www.stuff.co.nz

2009-03-14 A strong first year for Green Carbon

2009-03-16T03:50:32.038Z

March 17th St Patrick’s Day or “Green Day” marks one year since the launch of Green Carbon, the carbon credits trading company started up by young entrepreneur Seeby Woodhouse.

Green Carbon advises on all matters related to carbon foot-printing, carbon management and carbon neutrality, and since launching last year has grown into a fully fledged company with a range of small to large clients.

“We believe the carbon footprint measurement process, ongoing reductions, and offsetting with carbon credits are important steps for businesses to take in helping to reduce global carbon levels,” says Green Carbon Director, Seeby Woodhouse.

“We’ve had a constant stream of enquiries since launching Green Carbon which is very encouraging. It seems that anyone from small niche businesses to large corporate companies are keen to find out how they can do their part in reducing and offsetting their own carbon footprint,” he says.

Some of Green Carbon’s clients include Auckland Co-op Taxis who have taken a number of measures to reduce their carbon footprint, including replacing older cars in their fleet with hybrids; leading supermarket grocery brand New Zealand Freshcuts who have enhanced their health conscious brand with a number of sustainability initiatives including measuring, reducing and offsetting their carbon footprint; leading fashion designer Trelise Cooper who is working with Green Carbon to offset their carbon footprint which relates mainly to their head office and the petrol miles to travel clothes; and iconic New Zealand company Kiwi Campers who have broadened their appeal to tourists through promoting their “clean & green” image as low-carbon company. Other clients include 24 hour electrical company Clarkson Electrical and packaging company Classique International.

Over the past year Green Carbon has made several refinements to their business, including introducing four different levels of certification. The levels allow clients to be recognized for the efforts with respect to their carbon footprint, without necessarily requiring clients to become completely carbon neutral as the only option. The stages of Green Carbon Certification include - Carbon Friendly, Carbon Measured, Carbon Managed and Carbon Neutral.

“We brought out the levels to give organisations achievable, discrete targets in their journey towards carbon neutrality, and branding that clearly communicates to the public what these organisations have achieved. These stages incorporate international carbon management ‘Best Practice’ standards such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and ISO-14064, and are designed to give clients accurate and transparent information to indicate where they are positioned in their journey to carbon neutrality,” he says.

Woodhouse suggests that it’s even more important for companies who get involved in promoting any form of low carbon credentials to be aware of their obligations in light of the recently released ‘Commerce Commission Guidelines for Carbon Claims’. The guidelines provide guidance for companies making low carbon claims to ensure that those claims comply with the Fair Trading Act.

“If companies misrepresent their low-carbon, or carbon neutral status then it could be deemed as misleading to consumers by the Commerce Commission, incurring heavy penalties, so it’s very important to go through a robust process, such as that provided by our certification options, and for companies to be transparent about what they have really done, rather than making broad claims to the public” says Woodhouse.

Green Carbon recently supported the BBC movie “Earth” with their own initiative to use carbon credits to offset the estimated travel footprint of movie goers, which included anyone who travelled to the film from around the country. The movie, which was released last August, looks at a journey around the world through the lives of three main characters - a polar bear, an elephant and a humpback whale, and the impact that global warming is having on those animals.

Green Carbon will celebrate their first birthday with “Green Drinks” by taking over St Patricks day this Tuesday 17th March, which, the company says should from now on be known as ‘Green Carbon Day’.

www.greencarbon.co.nz

CLIENT CASE STUDIES

Trelise Cooper
Green Carbon and Trelise Cooper are partnering together to offset the Trelise Cooper business carbon footprint. Trelise Cooper has embarked on a process of ultimately achieving carbon neutrality – the first step is which to measure the head office carbon footprint. 12% of consumers now make their primary purchasing decision based on a companies eco-credentials. Trelise Cooper recognizes that consumers will increasingly demand clothing in the future that is not only stylish, but also has a low carbon footprint. The collaboration of the Green Carbon & Trelise Cooper bands is an opportunity for these two business entrepreneurs to raise the awareness of climate change throughout New Zealand and lead by example. Trelise and Seeby believe that by acting responsibly towards our environment we can all make a difference.

New Zealand Fresh Cuts
Owner of New Zealand Fresh Cuts and NZFC group of companies, Ashley Berrysmith (2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year) is a recognised industry leader in product development , long shelf life packaging , production , processing , hygiene and growing techniques. Their quality fresh sprouts, salad greens, vegetable mixes, baby peeled carrots and hemp seed oil are all especially grown and processed to deliver optimum freshness and flavor to an increasingly discerning and health conscious market place. Green Carbon has provided carbon credits to New Zealand Fresh Cuts to offset their company carbon foot print and are working towards branding of their products in the supermarkets.

Auckland Co-op Taxis
Auckland Co-op Taxis have adopted a green policy that will embrace all aspects of the business, including vehicle choice, emissions testing, dispatch policies and back office activities. As part of this no more petrol-only new or replacement vehicles will be added to the 760-strong fleet. And any replacement diesel vehicle must now be brand new. To help implement the policy Auckland Co-op has engaged Green Carbon and its principal Seeby Woodhouse, as its advisor.

“As a company that has been around for over 60 years we are continually looking at ways to improve our business and the way we operate. This includes the emissions into the environment and our effect on future generations. Engaging with Green Carbon to both measure and maintain these emissions is a small step forward in helping us becoming more environmentally aware. Our new vehicle policy is that no petrol only vehicles may enter the fleet, this change has been embraced by our shareholders and over half our fleet are ‘Environmentally Friendly’ being a Hybrid, LPG or Diesel vehicle. Now when making a booking our customers are able to request an environmentally friendly vehicle,” says Niki Mackay, Sales and Marketing Manager.

Kiwi Campers
Kiwi Campers are based in the South Island and provide local and foreign holiday makers an exciting way to explore NZ with their range of camper vans. Having gone beyond just managing their own carbon footprint, they even offer to offset the holiday maker’s carbon emissions from their vans.

PUBLIC SPEAKING
Seeby has attended a range of events as guest speaker, promoting Green Carbon and educating his attendee’s on climate change and the impact on our environment. These engagements include:

§ Baldwins World Intellectual Property Day
§ New Zealand Taxi Federation Conference
§ Thrive Wellington
§ New Zealand Alphine Ski Lifts
§ Cosmetic, Toiletry & Fragrance Conference
§ Onehunga High Business School – Hall of Fame dinner
§ Takapuna Grammar
§ Auckland University – Spark Challenge

For comment please call Green Carbon Director, Seeby Woodhouse Ph. 021-366666

Sources from InfoNews.co.nz .

2008-07-25 Film 'EARTH' (2009) to make green history in NZ

2008-11-25T07:00:49.294Z

The BBC film, EARTH, will be breaking new ground at the box office by becoming the first film in New Zealand to have its carbon footprint offset during its release in cinemas from 21 August.EARTH’s distributors, Hoyts Distribution, will be working with Green Carbon to ensure that the carbon emissions produced by people travelling to see the film, and those of the film’s distribution are offset.

EARTH, a film by the world renowned BBC Natural Film History Unit, takes audiences on an unforgettable journey around the planet, using the natural history of the planet to show its effects on all of life. It tells its story through the lives of three main characters – polar bear, elephant and humpback whale - and their offspring, to show the hardships faced by creatures whose lives are dominated by a migratory existence in a world that is fast changing. The film offers audiences a chance to recognise and celebrate the beauty of the earth, but is also a reminder of the ecological fragility of our planet and the creatures that live on it.

Elizabeth Trotman, General Manager for Sales and Marketing at Hoyts Distribution says, "Hoyts Distribution is proud to be the first film distribution company to offset a film’s distribution carbon footprint; EARTH is a beautiful film; we couldn't have put it into cinemas without marketing it in an environmentally responsible way. We urge people to use public transport when going to see EARTH, and if they have to use their cars, at least we can do our bit to help the planet by offsetting the carbon emissions from their vehicle, in their trip to see the movie

Greenhouse gases are created in the film distribution process through the print shipping process and patrons commuting to the cinema to see the film

Seeby Woodhouse, Director of Green Carbon says, “We are delighted to be associated with EARTH – a film which clearly shows why we all have to act locally to reduce our carbon emissions– and to be part of a first for New Zealand. It’s great to see the film industry catching on to the idea of being responsible for their carbon emissions.”
Hoyts Distribution will release EARTH in Auckland cinemas from 21 August 2008. The film will then play in Wellington and Dunedin on 25th September and in Christchurch and other locations from 6 November.

For further publicity information on EARTH please contact:
Aleana Reynolds
Hoyts Distribution NZ Ltd
DDI: + (64) 9 573 9068
areynolds@hoyts.co.nz

2008-10-18 NZ's largest taxi company is going green

2008-11-25T08:36:08.037Z

Auckland Co-op taxis adopts green policy, and partners with Green Carbon

Effective last month, there will be no more petrol-only new or replacement vehicles added to the 760-strong fleet. And any replacement diesel vehicle must now be brand new.

At a special meeting, members of the Auckland Co-operative Taxi Society Ltd voted formally to adopt a green policy that will embrace all aspects of the business, including vehicle choice, emissions testing, dispatch policies and back office activities.

Te help implement the policy Auckland Co-op has engaged Green Carbon and its principal Seeby Woodhouse, as its advisor.

Green Carbon’s first task will be to establish the company’s current carbon footprint against which future progress will be measured.

Auckland Co-op chairman Ian Graham says the company has taken a small, step in one of the most significant journeys in its 60-year history.

“We want to be genuine in our efforts and we recognise we have a long way to go,” he said.

“However, we already have a long line of members wanting Hybrid vehicles.

“Our members have recognised that as New Zealand’s largest taxi fleet we must accept our responsibility as a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions within the transport industry and the challenges of improving our environmental performance.

“In a business like taxis there is no shortage of views, so achieving consensus on an environmental and business sustainability policy is a reflection of the crucial role the transport industry plays in improving the environment.”

Rules for new vehicles coming into the Auckland Co-op fleet had been implemented with immediate effect, which meant as taxis were replaced the carbon footprint would progressively reduce. But the company was not just waiting for vehicle replacements — there would be a real focus on emission improvements.

Mr Graham said his members recognised that developing and implementing the changes necessary to make Auckland Co-op taxis a more sustainable business would be good for users, good for owners and drivers, good for Auckland and good for New Zealand.

Sourced from: NZ Taxi News

2008-08-06 Auckland fruit-veg merchant goes Carbon Neutral

2008-11-25T08:49:03.720Z

An Auckland fresh-vegetables merchant is boasting it is first in the world to be fully recognised as carbon neutral.

To mark its certification Fresh Cuts New Zealand gave away "carbon neutral carrots" at a horticulture conference in Auckland.

"It does not matter what you think about carbon footprints, the emissions trading scheme...they are a reality, " company general manager Stephen Dench said.

"As an industry...we need to get our head around these issues and take a leading role globally."

Becoming carbon neutral took 14 months, with Landcare Research and Green Carbon helping measure, manage and mitigate all emissions in the company.

Excess greenhouse gas emissions had to be offset by buying carbon credits created in New Zealand through projects such as windfarms or reduction of methane emissions from landfills.

Mr Dench said the focus on reducing costs and waste meant the company had been able to invest in technologies to improve both its environmental and economic performance.

"There is a large number of positives for the business, the industry and the country," he said,

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