2009-02-24_PWETC_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

state's coal pazver plarzts, or redttcirzg every car usa~~e ira the state by tuw-tl~ttrds, or t~srttg 7.5% Less electricity r~n our ot~rra ]~onzes." I'a~e 2. These calculations were added to the Minnesota .Energy Challenge, a website designed for people to calculate their carbon footprint and learn how to save money and energy at home. Now, residents can calculate and see just how beneficial their household waste reduction activities are in addressing climate change. These same calculations can be applied to Roseville's citywide program. to demonstrate the programs benefits to the environment in terms of climate change. The Environrnental protection Agency (EPA) WARM Calculator The equations used in environmental. calculations try to take into account the "full life cycle" of each material... everything from off-setting the demand for more virgin. materials (tree harvesting, mining, etc.) to preventing the pollution that would have occurred if that material were disposed of (burned or buried). 17ifferent calculators may include some or all of the many factors that contribute to Che "full life cycle," so results from calculator to calculator will vary. While there are many models emerging to calculate greenhouse gas reductions, the most recognized and standard model is the U.S. Environmental. Protection A.gency's WARM model The Waste Reduction Model (WARM) was designed to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas emissions redactions from several different waste management practices. The WARM. model was last updated in August of 2008 and recognizes 34 material types. Roseville ~o~al Garbon Equivalent Garbon Dioxide Equivalent l~€~~3€~li~q Reduction .'Reduction 2l)U6 3,441 tons 2,328.0 metric tons 8,537.0 metric tons MTCE* MTCO2E 2$$7 3,682 tons 2,460.0 metric tons 9,01.8.0 metric tans MTCE* MTCO2E 20$$ 3;556 tons 2,383 metric tons 8,736 metric tons MTCE* MTCO2E *MTCE (Metric tons of carhan equivalent), MTC02E (Metric tons oFcarbou dioxide emissions) are figures Gommanly used when discussing greenhouse ~,>is emissions. What do these numbers mean? The numbers above help municipalities calculate and tack their environmental footprint. For more information about the process of measuring the environmental benefits of waste reduction, visit: http://epa.gov/climatechange/vvycd/waste/measureghg,;html#click. These numbers, however, do not make much sense to the average person. To help recyclers understand the significance of their actions, the EPA has also developed tools to translate these numbers into equivalent examples that people can mare easily understand. ® For example, using the figures above, the EPA estimates that Roseville would have had to remove a total of 1600 cars froth the road for ane year to have had the same enviromnental impact in 2008 as they did recycling. To achieve this, approximately 1.1.% of Roseville's households would have had to give up one car for a year.