GUIDE TO PREPARING THE APPLICATION FOR CLIMATE COOL CERTIFICATION

1. Executive Summary
2. Description of Organization
3. Internal Reductions
   List things that your organization has done to reduce your own energy consumption and that demonstrate your commitment to reducing your climate change impact.
4. Footprint
   The Network has an MS Excel Worksheet (181 KB) to help you calculate this.
1. Boundaries
   What elements have you included in your greenhouse gas footprint?
2. Data Sources
   Were you able to get actual consumption figures such as kWh, gallons of gas, etc? Explain any assumptions that you had to make.
3. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
   Present a table summarizing the emissions for each category (electricity, natural gas, commuting, etc). Attach your spreadsheet as an appendix.
5. Offsets Project Description
   Give a description of the project(s) and how it(they) will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
1. Adherence to Design Principles
   Provide details on the assumptions used to calculate the carbon dioxide equivalents estimated once the new technology is in place.
2. Transparent and verifiable
   Explain whether or not the reductions are readily verified and the data is transparent. Can project data be shared with the public?
3. Additional
   Demonstrate that these reductions are additional. Is the project required by law? What are the barriers that the offset investment helps to overcome? Is the project already happening? Will it go forward without the carbon investment?
4. Measure, monitor, & verify reductions
   How will the reductions be measured, monitored and verified? Will there be any third party verification? Does the reporting or verifying agency have a conflict of interest in reporting?
5. Minimize and compensate for potential leakage
   Does the project simply relocate positive or negative activities from one location to another? Is there a real reduction in emissions when you look at outside effects?
6. Establish contract enforcement and liability mechanisms (e.g. trusts, guarantees etc)
   Explain how the credits will be secured. Who owns the reductions? What kind of guarantee of performance is provided? How will under-performance of projects be compensated?
7. Technically sound
   Is this a new technology? How well established is it? Are there any uncertainties around the technology or this particular application?
6. Net Greenhouse Gas Emissions
   Provide a table with your greenhouse gas emissions footprint and the reductions that will come from the offset project.