ICF to Bolster Status as Carbon Hero By Reducing Footprint to Zero
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ICF International, the Fairfax consulting company, has made a business of telling companies like Yahoo, Time Warner and HSBC how to reduce their output of carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to global warming.
So wasn't it about time that ICF did something about its own carbon impact? Which, as it happened, was 7,135 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, equal to what 1,544 cars produce in a year.
"Fair question," said Craig Ebert, an executive vice president at ICF. "We definitely think it's a good idea."
ICF recently announced that it would seek to reduce its carbon footprint to zero, making it one of the first big companies in the Washington area to go "carbon neutral." But the company can't completely eliminate its carbon output -- it still needs electricity and needs to send consultants to far-flung places by gas-guzzling airplanes. To lower its impact, ICF is buying "carbon offsets," securities that capture the benefits of projects that cut greenhouse gas emissions.
In ICF's case, it's investing in wind and energy projects in India and China. The company wouldn't say how much it's investing, but offsets cost $5 to $30 per metric ton. Based on current output, ICF's tab could run up to $214,000 a year.
-- Zachary A. Goldfarb
