Frequently Asked Questions

- CCM received Island Coastal Economic Trust funding for economic, social and environmental benefits to the community.

- CCM received UBCM Award of Excellence in partnership with City of Duncan for becoming carbon neutral completely from local greenhouse gas reduction project during the CCM Pilot.

- Vancity for always supporting our efforts and helping us build a sustainable world.

- Gaming Grant for providing us with the invaluable seed money for our pilot phase.

Has your business or community organization taken actions that reduce GHG emissions? GHG reduction projects that reduce energy use, switch to renewable biofuels or electric vehicles, and divert organic waste to compost may now be eligible for additional revenues through the sale of community carbon credits. Going beyond carbon neutral means going the extra mile. It means showing that not only is your organization carbon neutral but it has reduced emissions above and beyond to generate extra revenues in the form of community carbon credits (C3s) to sustain these practices.

Not sure if you qualify ? Sign up as a seller and send us the report for verification if you have already quantified your C3s. Once Voluntary, we will list your business up on our marketplace with the allotted C3s for purchase by local governments, businesses and individuals. Our qualified team provides access to affordable, professional GHG Reduction Project Assessment (GHGRPA) services to calculate all eligible C3s created and your eligibility for Beyond Carbon Neutral Certification. Please contact us for information on how to apply for CCM Beyond Carbon Neutral Stamp & Certification for your products, services and marketing.

If your organization has already quantified its carbon emissions, sign up as a buyer and send us the report for verification. Once Voluntary, you can purchase community offsets/credits for your organization from the growing list of local greenhouse gas projects on our marketplace to achieve carbon neutrality for the assessed year. Our qualified team provides access to affordable, professional Carbon Footprint Assessment (CFA) services and support in calculating how many carbon credits are required to become carbon neutral. Please contact us for information on how to apply for CCM Carbon Neutral Stamp & Certification for your products, services and marketing.

1. Regional and Local Governments/Municipalities (Governments)that have committed to become carbon neutral and wish to do so through the purchase of CCCs/GHG reductions from local projects/proponents. The Climate Action Charter has been signed by 180 of 188 municipalities, committing them to become carbon neutral by 2012. A major theme at the past two UBCMs is dissatisfaction of municipalities in the current BC model which directs offsetting dollars outside of communities, and a preference for local solutions that invest back in the local economy.

2. Social Enterprises, Non-Profits, Co-ops and Private Businesses (Organizations)that wish to balance emissions from their operations

3. Individualsthat wish to balance their emissions from vehicle use, home heating, air travel, etc.

4. Potentially Crown Corporations and the Public Sectorwhich until now have been mandated to purchase offsets through the Pacific Carbon Trust. This has been a politically unpopular policy that is currently being challenged.

5. Businesses and Community Organizationsthat have operations/projects that reduce GHG emissions which can be quantified as community carbon credits and listed for sale.

6. Businesses and Community Organizationsthat wish to assess the potential for developing new GHG reduction projects or increase reductions from existing ones.

7. Governments, Businesses and Community Organizationsthat wish to better understand their energy and emissions through baseline/carbon footprint assessments.

A greenhouse gas is a common term used by the Kyoto Protocol to describe the following gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulphur hexafluoride.

A measure of the total energy that a gas absorbs over a particular period of time (usually 100 years), compared to carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide equivalent is a quantity that describes the amount of CO₂ that would have the same global warming potential (GWP) when measured over a specified timescale (typically 100 years). As an examples, the GWP of methane over 100 years is 25 times greater than CO₂, thus 1 tonne of methane equals 25 tonnes of CO₂e

A carbon footprint assessment (CFA) or greenhouse gas report is a complete accounting of GHG emissions from all sources in a given year for an organization or individual

A decrease in GHG emissions or an increase in removal or storage of GHGs from the atmosphere, relative to baseline emissions. Primary effects will result in GHG reductions, as will some secondary effects. A project activity’s total GHG reductions are quantified as the sum of its associated primary effect(s) and any significant secondary effects (which may involve decreases or countervailing increases in GHG emissions). A GHG project’s total GHG reductions are quantified as the sum of the GHG reductions from each project activity.

A specific activity or set of activities intended to reduce GHG emissions, increase the storage of carbon, or enhance GHG removals from the atmosphere. A GHG project may be a stand-alone project, or a component of a larger non-GHG project.

A carbon credit is a financial unit of measurement representing the GHG emissions that have been prevented by means of a reduction project (one tonne of CO₂e = one carbon credit)

Carbon offsetting is the practice where GHG producers use the credits gained by GHG reducers to balance their own emissions

These two categories of carbon credits used by CCM distinguish the credits based on the quality and verifiability of the data and methods used. The qualifications for each category are as follows:

Voluntary – Meets International protocols for Verification.
Compliance – Meets Provincial guidelines for Local Governments.

Carbon credits are accrued via the implementation of carbon reduction projects. Organizations or individuals who have measured success of reduction are eligible for carbon credits.

C3 is the abbreviation for community carbon credits.

A voluntary carbon market is a forum where carbon offset credits are traded as a regulated, standardized commodity for purchase by parties on a voluntary basis to offset GHG emissions.

In the context of GHG emissions, the term “business as usual” describes the normal output of emissions by an organization. This provides a set point when determining what reductions have been achieved from a GHG reduction projects.

Additionality describes when an organization goes beyond “business as usual” (i.e. the operations have been changed in order to reduce GHG emissions in a way that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise). A project must be additional in order to qualify for carbon credits. An example of this would be a trucking company switching it’s fleet from diesel fuel to biofuel which goes beyond their usual operations in a concerted effort to reduce GHG emissions in a manner that would not have occurred otherwise.

For the Local and Regional Governments, we provide:

The development of an online Community Carbon Marketplace tailored for the community.

A mechanism to direct demand from buyers of community carbon credits to eligible local projects that measurably reduce GHGs in a way that grows the green economy and builds community resilience.

Publicity recognizing each local investment and carbon neutrality. Each exchange is a good news opportunity!

Ultimately, a new community approach for reaching carbon neutrality through investment in the local green economy.

For businesses and the community, we provide:

Revenues to act as a tipping point for making sustainable business choices that generate carbon credits.

Access to affordable, professional Carbon Footprint Assessment (CFA) services and support in calculating how many carbon credits are required to become carbon neutral.

Access to affordable, professional GHG Reduction Project Assessment (GHGRPA) services to calculate all eligible credits created through eligible GHG reductions.

Easy listing of credits on CCM on an online market tailored to the community it serves.

Advice on how to reduce GHGs and maximize the generate of more credits.

Match-making: Advocacy to the government and local businesses to invest in local projects

Publicity recognizing each local investment and carbon neutrality. Each exchange is a good news opportunity!

Ultimately, a new sustainable revenue stream for making sustainable business choices that result in GHG reductions