Leonardo Academy Announces Call for Applications for Emissions Inventories, Reduction Credits and Offsets Standard Development Committee

Madison, WI, September 1, 2009 – Leonardo Academy, a non-profit organization that works to advance sustainability, announced today that it is now accepting applications for participation on the Standards Committee that will work to develop an American National Standard for quantifying and documenting environmental emission inventories, reduction credits and offsets. Sonia Carlson, Leonardo Academy Emissions Services Manager said, “We are seeking a diverse group of individuals to help us develop this emissions standard—from individuals or organizations that create, inventory, reduce or sequester, or offset emissions to individuals or organizations that work to preserve and improve the environment to government representatives, labor groups, academics or other interested parties.”

About the Standard
Leonardo Academy is developing the Emissions Inventories, Reduction Credits and Offsets standard under the rules of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private, non-profit organization (501c3) that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system (www.ansi.org). Leonardo Academy, an ANSI accredited standards developer, announced the standard development process through the ANSI Project Initiation Notification System on June 23, 2006, giving the process the official designation of BSR/LEO 5000-200x (informally, LEO 5000).

The objectives of LEO 5000 are to:  (1) Provide transparent reporting of the scope of emissions sources being addressed and how emissions, sequestration and offsets are calculated, which will help companies and consumers to make sense of claims made by businesses about their emission reduction and offset achievement, (2) Avoid the traditional stove-piped approach of targeting single emissions by addressing the full range of emissions types, including those that negatively affect climate and those that negatively affect human health and (3) Fill in the gap left by current climate emissions standards by addressing existing forests.

The Leonardo Academy white paper, “Review of Emissions Standards and Protocols:  What Each One Addresses and How,” (2007 working draft available at: http://www.leonardoacademy.org/publications/reports/275-review-of-emissions-standards-a-protocols.html) reviews all existing emissions crediting standards and protocols and determines that none address giving credit to carbon sequestration in existing forests that are not secured by law or regulation. The result is a major hole in the climate change bucket.

 “The current approach of emissions standards and protocols not crediting carbon sequestration in existing forests that are not secured by law or regulation is not only wishful thinking masquerading as public policy, it threatens the achievement of actual reductions in climate change emissions” said Michael Arny, President of Leonardo Academy. “LEO 5000 will recognize and give credit for carbon sequestration in all existing forests not secured by law or regulation.”

“Additionally,” Arny continued, “developing a standard that addresses both climate and health is important because just as important as mitigating climate change is being able to breathe the air around us. Addressing both types of emissions together will lead to lower-cost emission reduction strategies, making it easier for companies and households to take action in reducing overall emissions from a variety of sources.”

Amanda Raster, Leonardo Academy Sustainability Standards Development Manager said, “Our goal is to have the Emissions Standards Committee in place within eight weeks. We will move the development of this standard along as quickly as is practical so that we can contribute to the myriad of national strategies that are currently addressing climate change.”

How to Apply for the Standards Development Committee
Standards Committee applications forms are available on the Leonardo Academy web site at http://www.leonardoacademy.org/programs/standards/emissions-standards/development.html.  Completed applications should be submitted to Leonardo Academy by Friday, October 2, 2009. Standards Committee members will be selected by Friday, October 23, 2009.

Leonardo Academy is a charitable (501c3) non-profit organization and is seeking donations from businesses, foundations and individuals to support this standard development process.

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About Leonardo Academy
Leonardo Academy is a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to advancing sustainability and environmental stewardship. Leonardo Academy develops innovative tools that leverage the competitive market so both buyers and sellers can drive increased sustainability and create sustainability opportunities that promote a thriving planet and transform the way we live. Leonardo Academy helps companies, organizations, families and individuals advance sustainability with overall sustainablity assessments and strategies, LEED implementation and certification for buildings, and emissions inventories and reduction and offset strategies.

About Leonardo Academy Standards Development
Leonardo Academy is developing five Leonardo Academy ANSI sustainability standards, which address emissions, sustainable gaming, sustainable organizations, sustainable vehicles and sustainable events. Leonardo Academy is also providing ANSI process support for two standards being developed by Scientific Certification Systems: the Sustainable Agriculture SCS-001) and the life-cycle impact and profile declarations standard (SCS-002). Learn more about these standards, or sign up to follow each of these standard development processes, on the Leonardo Academy web site at:  http://www.leonardoacademy.org/programs/standards.html.