Carbon Calculator

The Green Key Carbon Calculator was developed specifically for the lodging industry in order to assist hotels in determining their carbon footprint. Carbon management can reap great economic and reputational benefits, not to mention the resulting environmental benefits. The Calculator allows hotel owners everywhere to capture these benefits at the individual, portfolio and industry level by measuring, reporting and reducing the carbon footprint of their operations.

The Calculator measures all carbon emissions attributable to a set of carbon-emitting activities or sources applicable to a lodging facility from an annual perspective. As the hotel enters their “source data” (e.g. electricity consumption or vehicle miles/kilometers travelled) the calculator will compute the corresponding carbon emissions by applying “emission factors” (a number describing the carbon intensity of the source).

The Green Key Carbon Calculator follows the World Resources Institute (WRI) “Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard” and ISO-14064-1-06 “Greenhouse Gases – Part 1: Specification with Guidance at the Organizational Level for Quantification and Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals”; these two documents are considered the two leading international standards for quantifying carbon emissions.

How does Carbon Footprinting Help my Hotel?

As your hotel starts to track and compare carbon emissions year over year, you can quickly identify what your highest emitting sources are and see the potential for setting realistic reduction targets.

After entering applicable emissions data into the calculator it will determine your property’s carbon footprint and generate a detailed report. The report outlines the hotel’s current footprint with respect to the property’s emission sources and benchmarks the results against any previously entered data as well as against the industry average.

Here are just some ways hoteliers can benefit from managing their carbon footprint:

• Save energy: Lower energy bills now and mitigate expected cost increases
• Build a business case for energy efficient capital investments: accounting for carbon will prioritize equipment and facilities with lower operating costs
• Position hoteliers favourably among growing green customer segments: Corporate travellers and eco-conscious consumers screen for green
• Motivate employees to make greener choices: Inspire and engage employees by demonstrating environmentally responsible practices
• Build a reputation as a green leader: Tracking and reporting your footprint is a testimony to best in class business processes
• Lay the groundwork for regulatory compliance: Prepare for mandatory carbon measurement and reporting, which are being introduced through government and security industry regulatory initiatives

Accessing the Carbon Calculator

Access to the Carbon Calculator is renewed on an annual basis. Registration can be completed online using a credit card. We accept VISA and MasterCard.

Annual Access Fee: $100 (plus applicable taxes)

The Carbon Calculator is open to lodging facilities worldwide.Click here to register: http://greenkeyglobal.com/

Development of the Carbon Calculator

The Carbon Calculator is a joint initiative of the Hotel Association of Canada and the Greater Toronto Hotel Association. Development of the project was undertaken by Loop Initiatives and CarbonCounted.

A major stakeholder in the industry, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA) is the voice of Toronto’s hotel industry, representing 170 hotels, with approximately 36,000 guest rooms and more than 32,000 employees. Founded in 1925, the GTHA enables competing hotels to work together on issues of public policy and charitable ventures, provides information and service to its members, and advocates raising their profile and prosperity as a vital component of Toronto’s tourism industry.

The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) is the national voice and resource for the lodging industry in Canada. For nearly 100 years, HAC has worked to enhance the prosperity of the Canadian industry through strong member engagements, effective government advocacy, and the provision of value added programs and services. The suite of programs offered under the banner of Green Key Global are developed, owned and managed by HAC. Loop Initiatives is a management consulting company specializing in corporate sustainability integration. Loop works with leading Canadian organizations in the hotel, retail and service industries to help them prosper in their shift towards sustainability. Loop’s suite of services includes corporate sustainability program design, development of sustainability performance indicators and targets, external disclosure and reporting, employee training and carbon footprinting.

CarbonCounted Carbon Footprint Solutions (CarbonCounted) is a not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to enable fast, third-party verified (optional), time and cost-efficient carbon footprints. CarbonCounted enables businesses to calculate their carbon emissions with CarbonConnect, a public web-based greenhouse gas inventory system. Working with HAC, GTHA and Loop, CarbonCounted has created a customized, simple to use program that is specific to the lodging industry.