Clifton Sanitation District | Climate Action Plan
Clifton Sanitation district, CO
Clifton Sanitation District (CSD) contracted with Lotus Engineering and Sustainability, LLC (Lotus) to create its first greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and Climate Action Plan. Lotus created the GHG inventory utilizing custom inventory analysis spreadsheet tools that are compliant with the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC) and the Local Government Operations (LGO) Protocol. Once the team reviewed, analyzed, and leveraged the available data, Lotus conducted a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) on collected data to ensure that it aligned with best practices and industry knowledge.
CSD’s goal with this project was to complete a baseline GHG emission inventory to:
● Understand its climate action potential;
● Measure progress on sustainability investments and initiatives;
● Create an internal climate action report for board members and operational staff to use as a guide for implementation;
● Demonstrate which areas of CSD’s emissions have the most impact on the climate, and;
● Identify strategies to reduce these emissions.
The inventory results were then used to set targets for emissions reduction and mitigation strategies to meet the goal of a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030, mainly centered around energy efficiency.
This report integrates the GHG inventory data with emissions and reduction pathways. It includes identified GHG reduction goals that are science-based and time-bound along with a prioritized list of strategies that Clifton Sanitation District can take immediately.
YMCA of the Rockies | Sustainability Action Plan And Cost-Analysis
Sustainability Action Plan And Cost-Analysis
Lotus worked with YMCA of the Rockies to support the development of a Sustainability Action Plan that addressed the sustainability objectives of the YMCA of the Rockies strategic plan. The project actively engaged YMCA of the Rockies staff to foster a culture of sustainability within the organization and facilitate the implementation of effective climate action strategies. To support this work, Lotus conducted a comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions inventory of both campus locations, as well as emissions modeling of sustainability strategies to gain insights into YMCA of the Rockies' environmental footprint and which strategies would be most impactful. Furthermore, Lotus developed a cost evaluation of carbon emission reduction strategies for the YMCA of the Rockies. The strategies evaluated for implementation costs were also those that were modeled by the Lotus team for their anticipated carbon reduction impact. To ensure holistic implementation of the Sustainability Action Plan, Lotus worked with guest-facing staff to develop a Best Practice Guide and Lesson Plan for guest engagement in sustainability initiatives.
Finally, Lotus worked strategically with YMCA staff to bring forward a GHG reduction goal to the YMCA Board of Directors and Senior Leadership to ensure the plan and associated goal were aligned with the mission and values of YMCA of the Rockies and that the Board understood the responsibilities associated with setting a GHG target for the organization.
“Over the past year, YMCA of the Rockies has had the pleasure of working with Lotus on the creation of our comprehensive sustainability action plan. Through this process, Lotus has helped us to create a plan that aligns with our needs as a mission-based organization. Their thoughtful approach to creating a plan that encompasses all aspects of our needs has ensured that we are setting goals we feel confident in. From understanding our unique needs as a non-profit, to facilitating meaningful conversations with stakeholders of varying climate expertise, Lotus has successfully navigated through the process of developing a plan molded specifically to who we are as an organization. We are glad we chose to work with Lotus on such an important aspect of our mission.”
Grand Canyon Trust Colorado Plateau | GHG Inventory
Lotus helped develop the first GHG emissions inventory and BAU projection for the Colorado Plateau. We developed a bottom-up approach to estimate overall emissions based on 64 unique municipalities, including sources such as oil and gas drilling and processing, coal mine emissions, and carbon sequestration from farming practices. The Colorado Plateau covers an area of roughly 130,000 square miles and includes portions of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Read a summary of our findings.
“Working with Lotus has been an extremely positive experience. We came to Lotus in the research phase of a large project, and they were able to take our idea and run with it. From project design, to becoming experts in the subject area, Lotus created a defensible, scientifically sound greenhouse gas emissions inventory and forecast to 2050 for the entire Colorado Plateau. They were always available to answer questions, and even conducted an in-person training to teach our team how to replicate the inventory in the future. We can’t recommend Lotus highly enough, and hope to work with them again in the future.”
Holy Cross Energy | Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Holy Cross Electric Association, Inc. (HCE) has a vision to lead the responsible transition to a clean energy future for their 43,000 plus members. In 2018, HCE set a goal/target to provide 70 percent clean energy by 2030 (Seventy70Thirty) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with their power supply by 70 percent based on 2014 levels. To accurately measure and report these targets, Lotus was hired to complete a 2018 greenhouse gas inventory and review power supply chain inventories for 2005, 2014, and 2018. The inventory is utilizing the Climate Registry’s General Reporting Protocol and Electric Power Sector Protocol.
“We had the good fortune of working with Hillary and the Lotus Engineering team to assemble Holy Cross Energy’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory. They were a pleasure to work with through the process and their expertise was indispensable. They helped us iron out difficult questions related to which emissions reporting standards to follow, how best to collect and organize our data, and how to account for every last emission related to our organization that is meaningful enough to track. Once our inventory was complete, we not only had a solidified baseline for our previous years emissions but also a inventory tool that is easily updated by our internal staff for future years. We would absolutely hire Lotus again the next time we need GHG related consulting support.”