Thursday, September 20, 2012

Truckie from Dubbo leads the world on carbon cuts

A trucking company from North Dubbo NSW is the first officially certified carbon neutral bulk haulage company on the planet.
Not only is it slashing the amount of CO2 its trucks emit, Transforce Bulk Haulage is voluntarily paying a carbon tax to cover the emissions that it has yet to reduce.

Owner Steve Fieldus has just completed the last requirements for certification under the National Carbon Offset Standard, a voluntary program run by Low Carbon Australia, a Commonwealth Government agency.

The process took 10 months. "First we had to measure the company’s carbon footprint, then Steve decided how much of his emissions he could eliminate in the first year,” says Louisa Kiely of Carbon Farmers of Australia (CFA) who managed the process for Transforce.. “This left a gap that we couldn’t fill with savings this coming year. So Steve purchased offsets on the voluntary market,” In this case he contributed to a project for farmers in Africa.

"I wanted to buy offsets from Australian farmers - especially soil carbon offsets - but they aren't available yet.  Hopefully next year," he says. “A lot of my customers are farmers and we want to support them because we believe that they can make a huge impact on Global Warming.” He was inspired by attending the annual Carbon Farming Conference and the vision put forward by CFA, a farmer-led organisation that believes those leading scientists who believe that massive increases in photosynthesis on the world's farmland can stall global warming long enough for the world to make the shift to low carbon energy sources. (Steve is presenting at this year’s Carbon Farming Conference In Dubbo, 23-24 October)

Steve is convinced that the world will be a safer place for his 4 children and grandchildren if other companies follow his lead. "There's a lot of debate about climate change - who knows what's right, but if the majority of the world's recognized scientists are right, we had better have done something."

Steve wants the Government to consider his voluntary approach to reducing emissions verses the plan to phase out the diesel rebate scheme in 2014. Transforce is using the twin strategies of engine technology upgrades and driver incentives to deliver reductions in fuel usage and carbon emissions each year. In the meantime, Steve believes he will impress his customers and prospects with his feat. "It's a win/ win for our customers, for our business and for the kids of the future," he says.

www.carbonfarmingconference.com.au

*Many transport companies have gone some way towards neutralising their carbon emissions, particularly in Europe, but no bulk haulage company is reported to have achieved it yet with their entire operation.

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