Boulder Sustainability Professional Among Nation’s First Certified Greenhouse Gas Quantifiers, CSA Standards Certifies Matt Wood of Renewable Choice Energy

Boulder, CO (Vocus) March 4, 2010

Renewable Choice Energy Greenhouse Gas Product Manager, Matt Wood received the nation’s first-of-its-kind certification in conducting greenhouse gas inventories last month. Wood received the CSA Standards GHG Inventory Quantifier (GHG-IQ) certification after successfully passing a series of rigorous requirements and testing, and agreeing to strict ethics mandates to become one of a handful of professionals in the nation to achieve success in this premier program.

CSA Standards established the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Certification program to help enhance the credibility, consistency and environmental integrity of GHG quantification and reporting. Among the criteria for certification was a half-day of testing which included questions on calculations, data management, quality assurance, greenhouse gas emissions, and accounting protocols.

"With the implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's mandatory GHG emissions reporting rule, many facility managers will want to know they are relying on knowledgeable and skilled personnel to complete their carbon footprint," says Richard Papa, Vice President, CSA Standards. "Hiring or contracting a CSA Standards certified professional will help provide a higher level of assurance they have the skills to better ensure the accuracy of the GHG inventory data. A GHG inventory that is accurate and complete can help lower compliance costs, especially for programs that require third-party verification."

The certification was developed by a panel of industry experts to assess professionals who will be responsible for corporate or facility-based GHG inventory development, quantification and reporting and is operated under the ISO 17024 Conformity assessment. CSA Standards offers the following regarding the GHG-IQ Certification:

With the demand for GHG professionals expected to rise rapidly over the next five years, certification to an internationally recognized program will demonstrate an individual's competence to quantify, assess and report GHG emissions. CSA Standards' certification examination assesses the candidate's knowledge in:

•     Understanding of GHG inventory boundary setting (organizational, geographical, temporal and operational boundaries)
•     Understanding of how to plan a GHG inventory process
•     Use of data to calculate and analyze emission results
•     Compilation and organization of documentation and preparation of reports.

“We’re proud to have one of the nation’s first CSA-certified greenhouse gas inventory specialists on our in-house team,” said Quayle Hodek, CEO of Renewable Choice Energy. “We’ve grown to support this important aspect of corporate sustainability and Matt Wood’s leadership contributes considerable value to what we can offer our clients.”

As the Greenhouse Gas Product Manager at Renewable Choice Energy, Wood oversees a team of sustainability professionals that provide greenhouse gas inventory services and reporting support to businesses across the U.S. These services help businesses understand and plan reductions for greenhouse gas emissions derived from a variety of sources such as electricity use, manufacturing processes, company travel and shipping, and more.

“Professional certifications such as CSA Standards’ GHG-IQ are critical for both consumers of carbon accounting services, as well as professionals within the industry,” said Wood. “This standard enables consumers to make informed decisions regarding the consultants they engage and provides added assurance that those consultants are professional and highly trained.”

Wood helped build the newly-developed Greenhouse Gas Inventory Services division of Renewable Choice Energy and has also been instrumental in launching a program focused on supporting Walmart retail suppliers responding to the newly-launched Walmart Sustainability Index Assessment. The assessment requires the international retailer’s suppliers to report on greenhouse gas management activities among other corporate sustainability practices.

In addition to voluntary programs for greenhouse gas reporting such as those imposed by Walmart, recently-passed legislative mandates have begun requiring the tracking and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). So far, legislative changes affect only larger-scale businesses with large emissions responsibilities, but the federal adoption of such measures in addition to the Walmart program and growing adoption rate of third-party sustainability certifications points to a sharply-growing trend in public and private support of greenhouse gas reporting and reduction among businesses.

To learn more about Greenhouse Gas Inventory Services from Renewable Choice Energy, please visit http://www.renewablechoice.com.

Renewable Choice Energy
Renewable Choice Energy is a leading national provider of renewable energy credits (RECs) and verified emission reductions (VERs) (carbon offsets) to hundreds of Fortune 500 Companies and small businesses, thousands of residential customers, and more than 1,000 LEED green building projects in the U.S. Founded in 2001, Boulder-Colo.-based Renewable Choice and its clients have received prestigious awards from the EPA and DOE for supporting and expanding the renewable energy market and have been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, USA TODAY, and more. (http://www.renewablechoice.com )

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