Agri-Trend Aggregation, in support of the 103rd annual Air & Waste Management Association Conference in Calgary, Alberta is pleased to annouce the donation of 1,000  Alberta Environment Compliant carbon offset tonnes to make A&WMA's conference Carbon neutral. Here is an excerpt from the conference program: 

"The Carbon Footprint of our Conference: A closer look at ACE and CO2

The ACE Environmentally Friendly committee is proud to announce that ACE 2010 is officially a Carbon Neutral event. Through an in-kind sponsorship from AGRI-TREND Aggregation Inc., a Calgary-based Carbon Offset company, the total emissions footprint of the conference has been offset through the donation of certified CO₂ credits.

To determine the footprint of the conference, the green committee analyzed the emissions impact of delegate air travel, transfers between the airport and downtown Calgary, travel to the social programs and technical tours, and the energy associated with the conference venue itself.

Not surprisingly, delegate air travel accounted for over 90% of the conference carbon footprint. In total 1,000 tonnes was retired for the purpose of making the conference carbon neutral.

To put that in perspective, one tonne of CO₂ measures 27’ x 27’ x 27’, or 19,683 ft³ (557.36 m³). Thus the conference will generate a CO₂ volume that is the equivalent of a three story building that covers over 3 1/3 city blocks. The energy equivalent would be the total CO2 output of ~ 100 family homes, or 250 automobiles for an entire year.

The offset credits that have been provided by the sponsor are regulated offset credits that are certified under Alberta’s carbon trading protocol, which is the only jurisdiction in North America that currently has an operating, regulated cap and trade program in effect. Because these are regulated credits, they are permanently retired, and subject to the highest standards of third-party verification. These specific credits are associated with carbon production reductions created by agricultural best-practices that include zero-till agricultural practice. This practice has additional benefits to the environment that include the reduction of top soil losses from the erosive effect of soil disturbance."