Author: 3Degrees Staff

At 3Degrees, we make it possible for businesses and their customers to take urgent action on climate change— providing renewable energy and carbon offset solutions to Fortune 500 companies, utilities, universities, green building firms and other organizations that are working to make their operations more sustainable. And as a certified B Corporation and eight-time winner of the EPA Green Power Supplier of the Year award, we’re primed to deliver custom clean power solutions that will help each organization make an environmental impact. Founded in 2007, 3Degrees is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices across the United States.

Driving the transition to net zero emissions

, August 6, 2021

Across the OEM motor vehicle aftersales space, transportation is a significant spend – approximately 7-8%(1) of sales. Further, the transportation sector has now surpassed the power sector as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the United States, responsible for over 29%(2) of total emissions within the U.S., and 24%(3) globally. This trend largely is driven by the growth of e-commerce, international and domestic shipping, and other activities related to globalization.

Many of the OEMs participating in Carlisle’s North American Parts Benchmark have released corporate statements committing themselves to reducing their climate impact, yet many organizations are early in the development of plans to address the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their transportation footprint. Fortunately, meaningful pathways to reduce transportation emissions are taking hold.

Where to begin?

We’ve laid out our perspectives on how to pluck lower hanging fruit and to either start or accelerate the journey towards decarbonizing transportation-related emissions.

  1. Calculating an Organization’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Profile
    Calculating an organization’s greenhouse gas emissions profile or “carbon footprint” circumscribes an organization’s emissions and creates a heat map for understanding where and in what size emissions are occurring. It is like tracking a person’s caloric intake over time for the purpose of designing a diet that gets results while minimizing disruption to their lifestyle. Ice cream every night or just on weekends?

  2. Decarbonizing the Warehouse
    Decarbonizing the warehousecan be a fertile ground for quick wins. Tried and true onsite energy minimization efforts — such as LED lighting, onsite solar installation, high efficiency space heating and cooling, or being paid to reduce energy use during periods of peak grid congestion — can offer attractive financial return profiles while providing greenhouse gas reduction benefits. When paired with backup battery storage systems, these efforts can also increase the energy resiliency of warehouse operations.

    More recently, an increasing number of companies are deploying Material Handling Equipment (MHE) powered by lower carbon fuels, such as electric or hydrogen powered forklifts, and other non-road cargo equipment. Leveraging various sources of public funding for these vehicles, such as the Low Carbon Fuels Standards incentive regimes in California, Oregon, and a growing list of other states, can deliver attractive additional revenue streams. These funds can further enhance total cost of ownership economics and help support more rapid electric vehicle deployment that lowers the GHG emissions of owned or leased mobile sources.

  3. Transitioning to Low Carbon Shipping Fuels
    The global transportation sector has begun integrating low carbon shipping fuels at an accelerated rate, in large part focused on last mile delivery and supported by decision tools that identify economically attractive alternatives to internal combustion engine (ICE) transport. Natural vehicle replacement cycles — both within and outside the warehouse — present good opportunities for organizations to begin to pilot electric, hydrogen, CNG, and other lower carbon fueled vehicles, again, especially for California and Oregon operations.

  4. Targeting the Remaining Unavoidable Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    Many companies mitigate the impact of the remaining unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions through the purchase of high-caliber verified carbon emissions reductions, otherwise known as carbon credits or carbon offsets, as a stepping-stone to complement, rather than replace, existing decarbonization strategies throughout their own operations.

  5. Reducing the Need to Move Materials and People
    Having said this, the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in transportation is by reducing the need to move materials and people. A comprehensive review of your supply chain – including buildings, material flow, transportation modes, inventory deployment strategies, referral patterns, etc. will allow you to understand not only the cost/service trade-offs, but the environmental tradeoffs as well. For example, increasing forward-deployed safety stock may increase inventory costs, but may also reduce parcel/air referrals. Ideally, this should be a positive financial trade-off. But if not, is your organization willing to pay for reduced carbon emissions?

Takeaways:

Combined with policy advocacy, vendor negotiation, and peer collaboration, the above strategies can represent a comprehensive approach to reduce the largest source of emissions globally.

Carlisle and its decarbonization partner, 3Degrees, have helped clients ranging from Rivian to Proterra understand and address the impact of their transportation-related emissions with a range of solutions customized to meet their unique business needs and sustainability goals.

 

Harry Hollenberg, Managing Director of Carlisle & Company

Carlisle & Company is the leader in aftersales strategy and insights, partnering with a range of highly engineered clients to solve their most complex business problems, drive growth, and create value.

 

 

Dan Kalafatas, Chairman of 3Degrees and former Carlisle & Company Manager

Dan serves as the chairman of 3Degrees’ board of directors, focusing on the company’s long-term corporate strategy and strategic initiatives.

 

 

Bioenergy Devco – Renewable Natural Gas

, March 9, 2023

 

Project type: Anaerobic Digestion 

Carbon intensity: -16 gCO2e/MJ

Tracking System: M-RETS Renewable
Thermal

Anaerobic digestion facility utilizes organic waste to generate clean energy

Bioenergy Devco’s Maryland Food Center Campus is revolutionizing the end use of waste. The first of its scale, the Jessup Bioenergy Center is able to recycle about 110,000 tons of organic matter through the process of anaerobic digestion each year, generating 312,000 MMBtu of renewable natural gas (RNG) that is injected into the common carrier pipeline network — enough to power over 7,600 homes annually. Truck loads of feedstock are collected and inspected, before being delivered to a pre-tank before its final destination: a completely enclosed digester where it’s broken down by microbes. The inputs can range drastically from protein processor misuse, litter and industrial food facility sludge, to fats, oils, greases and excess post-consumer organics and packaged food. 

As the microbes do their work, they create biogas which rises to the top of the container, then pumped from the tank, filtered and scrubbed for impurities. From there, the pipeline-quality RNG is injected into the pipeline network. RNG is not only a renewable substitute for fossil natural gas, but, in many cases, also avoids potent methane emissions from being vented into the atmosphere. The Maryland Food Center Campus anaerobically digests food waste that otherwise would have been sent to a landfill and vented methane into the atmosphere. Third-party assessments of the lifecycle carbon emissions of the renewable natural gas generated by the Jessup facility therefore credit the facility for avoiding methane emissions, resulting in a negative carbon intensity of -16 gCO22/MJ. The system came online in 2022. 


 

Project type: Anaerobic Digestion 

Carbon intensity: -16 gCO2e/MJ

Tracking System: M-RETS Renewable
Thermal

Bioenergy Devco’s Maryland Food Center Campus is revolutionizing the end use of waste. The first of its scale, the Jessup Bioenergy Center is able to recycle about 110,000 tons of organic matter through the process of anaerobic digestion each year, generating 312,000 MMBtu of renewable natural gas (RNG) that is injected into the common carrier pipeline network — enough to power over 7,600 homes annually. Truck loads of feedstock are collected and inspected, before being delivered to a pre-tank before its final destination: a completely enclosed digester where it’s broken down by microbes. The inputs can range drastically from protein processor misuse, litter and industrial food facility sludge, to fats, oils, greases and excess post-consumer organics and packaged food. 

As the microbes do their work, they create biogas which rises to the top of the container, then pumped from the tank, filtered and scrubbed for impurities. From there, the pipeline-quality RNG is injected into the pipeline network. RNG is not only a renewable substitute for fossil natural gas, but, in many cases, also avoids potent methane emissions from being vented into the atmosphere. The Maryland Food Center Campus anaerobically digests food waste that otherwise would have been sent to a landfill and vented methane into the atmosphere. Third-party assessments of the lifecycle carbon emissions of the renewable natural gas generated by the Jessup facility therefore credit the facility for avoiding methane emissions, resulting in a negative carbon intensity of -16 gCO22/MJ. The system came online in 2022. 


 

To learn more about the Bioenergy Devco anaerobic digestion project and how your organization can support this initiative and address its GHG emissions with renewable natural gas (RNG) certificates, Get in Touch.

Photos courtesy of Bioenergy Devco

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Green Valley Dairy – Methane Reduction

, June 6, 2023

Green Valley Dairy Methane Reduction Project

In 2020, the agriculture sector was responsible for nearly 10% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.   Dairy cattle accounted for roughly 25% of agriculture’s overall methane emissions that year. Introducing advanced manure management practices is a highly effective method for mitigating the environmental impact of dairy farming. It was this opportunity that caught the attention of Wisconsin-based Green Valley Dairy. Prior to installing their three anaerobic digesters in 2006, the dairy was storing manure from its 3,000 milking cows, 300 dry cows and 300 heifers in open lagoons. Without a cover, this manure decomposed under anaerobic conditions, releasing methane gas into the atmosphere. With the new system, the Green Valley Dairy sends manure through an underground pipe network to its digesters. Methane gas is then captured and destroyed in two 1.2 MW generators to produce electricity and heat, thus displacing fossil fuel use. Aside from their ability to reduce harmful GHG emissions, dairy digester projects also improve air quality, add diversity to the fuel supply, and increase energy security with a cost-effective renewable resource. Digester projects range from $5-20 million to implement. Carbon credits from avoided methane emissions provide the dairy with an important stream of revenue to help make these projects economically viable. 

 

CO-BENEFITS:

Environmental:

Installing anaerobic digester equipment eliminates the environmental degradation and climate pollutant emissions associated with the standard method of manure disposal into open lagoons. The liquid from the manure was recycled into fertilizer for Green Valley’s fields, which benefitted from its nutrients. 

Economic:

The anaerobic digesters produce effluent that can be used as organic fertilizer or animal bedding. Biosolid bedding produced by the digester saves $245,000 in sand bedding costs annually and reduces emissions created by hauling bedding to and from the dairy. Green Valley Dairy provided cost savings to nearby dairies and landscaping companies by selling them recycled bedding for significantly less than the cost of alternatives. 

Health:

Digesters reduce manure odor in the local community, which can be significant in areas with large concentrations of dairy cows. Animal manure is useful as a natural fertilizer due to the presence of nutrients like nitrogen and potassium; however, an overabundance of these nutrients can cause harmful ecological imbalances in soil and waterways. Digester projects help dairy farms better manage and apply these nutrients to farmland and avoid accidental runoff. 

 

3Degrees + carbon offsets

 

View other project profiles or contact us.

Willits Woods – Improved Forest Management

, August 31, 2022

Willits Woods IFM Project

Mendocino County is a quiet and secluded community nestled between the rocky coastline of Northwestern California, and the wooded terrain of old-growth redwood groves. In the heart of Mendocino County is the 19,000-acre Willits Woods project area which is home to a wide variety of natural communities, including redwood, Douglas fir, coastal oak, mixed chaparral, montane hardwood, grassland, and coastal sage scrubland.

Forest management practices of this area have varied over the years as ownership of the land has changed. Heavily forested in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Northern California woods such as this often incur the negative impacts of excessive logging—loss of wildlife habitat, reduced carbon storage potential, and heavy erosion which deposits sediment into waterways. 

For years, local timber companies had subjected this landscape to unsustainable harvest practices. Since the development of the Willits Woods IFM Project, there have been no commercial timber harvesting activities. Willits Woods’ forest plan provides a full range of improved watershed benefits. Its conservation efforts focus on fostering the health of  migratory birds, riparian forest, streams, springs and wetland ecosystems. The project’s use of sustainable forest management practices increases the amount of carbon that can be absorbed and stored. The Willits Woods forest, like many other improved forest management projects, serves as a critical nature-based solution to climate change by avoiding carbon emissions from over-harvesting as well as removing carbon from the atmosphere through sequestration. Because the project is crediting new growth, the credits being offered from the project are considered carbon removals.

 

CO-BENEFITS:

Environmental:

The implemented forest management plan at Willits Woods protects biodiversity and provides habitat for sensitive species, such as the Yellow-Legged Frog, Marbled Murrelet, Red Tree Vole, and the Pacific Fisher. Sustainable management of Willits Woods improves landscape ecological health, safeguards water purification, and strengthens soil stabilization. Conservation efforts help sustain critical ecosystems for coho, pink and chinook salmon as well as steelhead fish populations.

 

Social:

Protected forest within the project area offers the local community a place to enjoy numerous recreational opportunities, such as hiking, camping, swimming, and horseback riding.

3Degrees + carbon offsets

View other project profiles or contact us.

UPM Blandin – Improved Forest Management

, February 26, 2019

UPM Blandin Native American Hardwoods Conservation Project

UPM Blandin Forestry manages 187,876 acres of native, mixed hardwood forests in Minnesota that supply timber to the UPM Blandin paper mill.  The company is committed to sustainable management of these acres and the resulting products. Blandin’s SmartForestrySM practices protect the diversity of natural forest communities, align management with ecological regimes, and reduce harvest impacts. All UPM-Blandin Forestland is Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI®) certified and all Blandin products are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™).

In 2010, working with non-profit partners and the state of Minnesota, Blandin signed a conservation easement that grants public access in perpetuity, guarantees the property will always remain forest, and that it will be managed under sustainable practices. This sustainable practice improves carbon dioxide sequestration by the forest which, in turn, is credited under the methodology.

Throughout the span of the carbon offset project, the property will remain a working forest that produces sustainable pulpwood, saw logs, and other high-value forest products for the regional forest industry. The forest supplies 17 facilities in Minnesota, supporting more than 3,200 working families and hundreds more in related businesses.

Supporting Blandin’s conservation efforts provides important co-benefits for the local communities. This forest provides water quality protection, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities for the public. The forest protects a diverse suite of wildlife, including 30 miles of state designated trout streams, 47 species of birds, and over 30 species of mammals including black bear, grey wolf, and moose.

 

CO-BENEFITS:

Environmental:

The forest protects a diverse suite of wildlife, including 30 miles of state designated trout streams, 47 species of birds, and over 30 species of mammals including black bear, grey wolf, and moose.

Health:

The forest provides water quality protection, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities for the public. Roughly 60,000 acres of wetlands, 33 miles of lake and pond shoreline, and 151 miles of streams are protected by this project. 

Economic:

The forest supplies 17 facilities in Minnesota, supporting more than 3,200 working families and hundreds more in related businesses.

 

Photos courtesy of Richard Hamilton Smith

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3Degrees + carbon offsets

View other project profiles or contact us.

Guoluo Grassland Sustainable Management – AFOLU

, August 4, 2022

Sustainable grassland management provides local employment 

Decades of overgrazing and the compounding  effects of climate change have desolated the  Qinghai’s Three River Source Region, leaving it fragile with little hope of improvement. Continued degradation of its grassland ecosystem not only posed a threat to the area’s environment and biodiversity, but the livelihoods of local herders.

In an effort to revitalize the area, the Guoluo Grassland Sustainable Management Project aims to restore the local degraded grassland ecosystem, increase grassland coverage and soil carbon stock, and implement sustainable grassland management. As the project’s primary activity, local workers have planted grass seeds on a degraded black soil beach. Once restored, the healthy grassland ecosystem is expected to generate GHG emission removals of 17,664,275 tCO2e, with an average annual GHG emissions reductions of 456,953 tCO2e. It will also serve as an attractive landscape with the potential to benefit local touristic resources and the local economy.

The project will boost the local economy by providing training and job opportunities in rodent control and grass seeding. Through this program, local community members will develop the technical skills necessary to sustainably manage the grassland. Local wildlife also stands to benefit from the project via an increase in soil organics.

 

CO-BENEFITS:

Environmental:

The project is estimated to generate over 17 million tCO2e in net estimated emissions removals and over 400,000 tCO2e in average annual GHG emissions reductions. Increased soil organics will improve life for 3 species of endangered animals (birds and mammals) and 9 species of vulnerable animals. 

 

Health:

Project implementation can purify water sources and ensure the water safety of nearby residents. 

 

Economic:

Nearly 12,000 members of the local community are expected to gain improved skills and/or knowledge resulting from training provided as part of project activities. The project is expected to create 3,386 full-time jobs.  Approximately 6,000 herders will become employed as grassland guardians. 

View other project profiles or contact us.

VERGE 2020 Studio Interview: Corporate Benefits of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard

, December 1, 2020

GreenBiz Studio Thumbnail

In this video from VERGE 2020, Dave Meyer, 3Degrees’ Director of LCFS Programs, speaks with Katie Fehrenbacher, Sr. Transportation Writer at GreenBiz, about California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard and how 3Degrees is helping organizations take advantage of this program to reduce their transportation footprint and subsidize further transportation decarbonization.

watch the interview

GOs and I-RECs: Tools for Addressing Global Scope 2 Emissions

, November 13, 2020

GOs and I-RECs

As your organization works to reduce its international energy footprint (Scope 2 emissions) to meet corporate renewable energy goals, you need all the data and resources necessary to move the needle and fast.

Our I-RECs and GOs infographic illustrates the similarities and differences of these instruments and provides the quick resource you need to take action to address your organization’s environmental impact.

Want more information? Take a look at our RECs and Global Equivalents page, or Contact us.

 

First-ever Peace REC
(P-REC) transaction drives renewable energy development in Africa

, November 19, 2020

 

Nuru Solar Project photos

Overview

  • Microsoft purchased P-RECs issued by Energy Peace Partners from Congolese solar developer Nuru’s newly commissioned 1.3MW commercial solar-plus-storage project in Goma, DRC.
  • The P-REC purchase helped Nuru fund the recently completed construction of 35 mini-grid-connected streetlights in the Ndosho neighborhood of Goma.
  • The streetlights: Improve quality of life with better nighttime visibility and road safety, and enhance neighborhood security; Support the local economy by allowing businesses to stay open at night; Improve air quality by reducing reliance on diesel generators, which are both expensive and highly polluting.
  • This transaction unlocks a new renewable energy attribute option that other organizations can now leverage to drive renewable projects in underserved communities around the globe.

what is a P-Rec info sidebar

Background

Microsoft has long been a leader in corporate sustainability. As part of its commitment to be carbon negative by 2030, Microsoft has pledged to have its operations run with 100% renewable electricity by 2025. The company has developed business models that further the transition to renewable energy, and it seeks opportunities to invest in high impact renewable energy products and stimulate development in under-resourced communities and regions of the world.

3Degrees had been in discussions with Energy Peace Partners (EPP) since 2017, exploring ways in which the two organizations could work together to help operationalize a new and innovative instrument developed by EPP, Peace Renewable Energy Credits (P-RECs).

So when Microsoft issued an RFP specifically geared to driving the adoption of renewables and maximizing associated environmental impacts, 3Degrees included P-RECs in the RFP response. The inaugural corporate purchase of P-RECs tests a new business model for the deployment of renewables in new geographies.

what is a P-Rec info sidebar

Creating a New Instrument for Renewable Energy Sourcing

In making this first-of-its-kind transaction a reality, there were some unique challenges that needed to be addressed.

  • Because P-RECs are an entirely new instrument, there was little guidance on how they would fit into existing corporate sustainability reporting frameworks, including CDP and RE100.
  • The P-REC pilot project is a 1.3 MW ground-mounted solar installation connected to a 520 kW/2.2 MWh battery energy storage system that introduces new electrification to the neighborhood of Ndosho in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where no electrical grid infrastructure has previously existed. Like many developing nations in sub-Saharan Africa, DRC lacks widespread electrical interconnection, and this plant is not interconnected to other grids beyond Ndosho.

“With P-RECs, companies like Microsoft that are looking to procure renewable energy can invest in regions that are the most impacted by climate change and that are currently deprived of access to modern energy. Companies can maximize the impact of their investments not only from a carbon reduction perspective, but also from a climate equity perspective.”

– Vanessa Miler, Director, Energy Innovation and Impact, Microsoft

Photo courtesy of Nuru

How We Helped

3Degrees, Energy Peace Partners, and project developer Nuru worked collaboratively to create the framework for scalable and accountable corporate sourcing. 3Degrees was key to this success by:

  • Developing contractual mechanisms to implement project milestones to mitigate risks that could arise from unexpected issues related to construction of the solar plant and installation of the streetlights. This provided all parties with enough assurances to move forward and make this first-of-its-kind transaction a reality.
  • Seeking guidance from leading renewable energy and GHG reporting initiatives to understand how these platforms could accommodate this new and unique instrument.
  • Continuing to advocate for standardized guidance on how to report EACs that differ from standard renewable energy usage claims but do directly support market development in regions with limited electrical grid interconnection and renewable energy procurement options. The development of P-RECs has encouraged RE100 to consider P-RECs in the context of flexibility mechanisms for regions like sub-Saharan Africa, although no new guidance has yet been issued.

“We developed the P-REC in order to support new renewable energy projects in fragile, energy poor regions of the world. With this inaugural P-REC purchase, Microsoft is demonstrating that corporate renewable energy procurement can be high impact by making a difference in communities like Ndosho, where increased access to sustainable and affordable power will be transformative. Energy Peace Partners is proud of this groundbreaking collaboration with Microsoft, 3Degrees, and Nuru.”

– David Mozersky, President, Energy Peace Partners

P-REC Project profile

The Nuru solar energy project

Photo courtesy of Nuru

The P-RECs for Microsoft’s transaction will be issued by Energy Peace Partners (EPP) and associated with Congolese solar developer Nuru’s newly commissioned 1.3MW commercial solar-plus-storage plant in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where less than 3% of residents have access to electricity. The system is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest solar-plus-storage off-grid mini-grids currently in operation and will provide power to more than 700 households and anchor enterprise clients.

Microsoft’s P-REC purchase assisted Nuru (which means light in Swahili) to fund the construction of mini-grid-connected streetlights in the Ndosho neighborhood of Goma, a community impact project co-designed with local stakeholders. The streetlights are improving night time safety and security in the community, allowing businesses to stay open at night, reducing reliance on diesel generators, and expanding renewable energy capacity in an area that has never had grid infrastructure.

Read more: Nuru Solar Energy Project Profile