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Climate Change Management Tools for Low Emitters
Technical Resources
EPA's Climate Leaders Greenhouse Gas Inventory Guidance, Calculator, and Inventory Management Plan for small and medium-sized organizations and service sector businesses
Businesses can take a lead role in helping the United States reduce the impacts of climate change by implementing actions that save money, improve productivity, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Small and medium-sized organizations, and larger service-sector businesses can use the tools on this page to measure and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, also known as a “carbon footprint.” Examples of low emitting businesses may include a service-industry company with 1,000 branch offices, a company with one small manufacturing plant, an owner of a single office building, a company that leases office space, or a branch of state or federal government.
A business should use the Low Emitter Guide, Calculator, and Inventory Management Plan (IMP) unless it meets the criteria for significant emitters, in which case it should use the Design Principles Guidance.
| Low Emitter Guide | Design Principles | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual emissions | 10,000 tons of CO2e or less | Over 10,000 tons of CO2e |
| Business has industrial process emissions | No | Yes |
The three tools below will enable your organization to perform a complete corporate-wide inventory of all GHG sources, establish an Inventory Management Plan for GHG data consistency, set a goal for reducing emissions, and track progress towards the goal.
Small businesses and low emitting businesses are welcome to join the Climate Leaders program, which requires completion of the low emitter tools and a publicly-announced greenhouse gas reduction goal, although it is not necessary to join the program to calculate and track your emissions with the tools.
Companies without operational control over their emissions (e.g., occupy mostly leased spaces and therefore do not have control over energy data and/or equipment) may not benefit from the program because their emissions are minimal.
To register for the next Introduction to GHG Management Webinar, which reviews how to use these tools, see our Events page.