ICF International (NASDAQ: ICFI), a global leader in providing strategic climate change services, announced today that it has entered into a carbon offset purchase agreement, which when combined with other energy efficiency measures, will fully offset carbon emissions from its offices worldwide.
As a leading expert in the field, the company has ensured the offsets it has contracted to purchase are of the highest quality, demonstrate environmental “additionality,” and are invested in projects that can be monitored and verified. In tracking its emissions for its 2006 footprint, ICF followed the Greenhouse Gas Protocol of the World Resources Institute/World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the internationally recognized standards for GHG accounting and reporting.
“As a major provider of carbon mitigation and adaptation services to companies and governments around the world, ICF is leading by example and making its facilities carbon neutral by following the same rigorous methodologies we apply for our clients,” said Sudhakar Kesavan, ICF’s chairman and chief executive officer. “ICF has been in this business for more than 20 years, long before it was fashionable, and we will always strive to remain on the cutting edge. By reducing the impact our operations have on the climate, we hope to encourage our industry peers to do the same.”
Climate change has been a core competency of ICF since the mid-1980s. During the past year, ICF has reviewed more than 100 offset project proposals to choose best-in-practice offsets for its clients. With more experience in the field of carbon management for consumer-facing companies than any other professional services firm, ICF has provided carbon strategy expertise to nearly 60 companies among the Financial Times Global 500, including HSBC, one of the largest banks in the world, and News Corporation and Time Warner, two of the largest media conglomerates in the world. ICF also recently provided carbon strategy assistance to Yahoo!
In recent years, ICF has launched a number of initiatives to increase energy efficiency and reduce electricity demand. For example,
ICF implemented energy efficient lighting and motion sensors in its major offices.
ICF became a partner in the EPA’s Green Power Partnership and purchased renewable energy credits equal to 24 percent of total electricity use for all of its U.S. offices.
ICF relies on video conferencing/Web meeting capabilities as much as possible in lieu of travel and encourages the use of call-in conference lines for meetings with individuals in multiple locations.
In addition to committing to making its offices carbon neutral, ICF has taken additional steps that allow employees to mitigate their own impact on the climate. For example, when ICF joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® Change A Light, Change the World campaign, 500 employees replaced light bulbs with ones bearing the ENERGY STAR rating, reducing enough kilowatt hours to equal the planting of 101 acres of trees. Additionally, ICF provides commuter benefits to employees in several locations for using mass transit and has implemented a robust telecommuting program. Currently, about 410 employees telecommute from home full- or part-time.
Looking ahead, ICF will conduct a yearly review of its emissions and continue to refine its inventory and pursue the best options for reducing and offsetting its worldwide emissions.
ICF, headquartered in Fairfax, Va., has offices throughout the Washington metropolitan area and in Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other U.S. cities; London; Moscow; New Delhi; Rio de Janeiro; and Toronto.
Editor’s note: Please click on the following links to an overview of ICF’s carbon footprint and a snapshot on going carbon neutral.
About ICF International
ICF International (NASDAQ: ICFI) partners with government and commercial clients to deliver consulting services and technology solutions in the energy, climate change, environment, transportation, social programs, health, defense, and emergency management markets. The firm combines passion for its work with industry expertise and innovative analytics to produce compelling results throughout the entire program life cycle, from analysis and design through implementation and improvement. Since 1969, ICF has been serving government at all levels, major corporations, and multilateral institutions. More than 2,500 employees serve these clients worldwide. ICF’s Web site is www.icfi.com.