Frequently Asked Questions

In this FAQ we address a number of frequently asked questions about sustainability, climate change, green energy and carbon offsetting.

What is the difference between sustainability and CSR?
Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility are at bottom about the same thing. Yet another nam is the socalled 3 P's: People, Planet, Profit, or the triple bottom line. This definition nicely shows how sustainability is about striking a balance between social, ecological and economical aspects.

For corporations this may lead to a social and ecological annual report, in addition to the financial report. Of course, the specific application will be different for different types of organisations – each with their own position in different chains and markets. What is important is that every organisation defines the value and relevance of sustainability for themselves, and develops policies accordingly.

Where did all the attention for sustainability come from?
Sustainability is much older than the past few years. Many organisations have been practising sustainability for decades – it just wasn't called that before. A number of milestones have created awareness among the general public, such as the Club of Rome (1972), Our Common Future (1987), the Kyoto Protocol (1997), the documentary 'The Inconvenient Truth' (2006) and the Nobel Peace Prize for the IPCC and Al Gore (2007).

This has caused a mounting concern that climate change is a serious threat for our planet, that natural resources are running out, and that we need to take responsibility for our actions. Over the past years many local, national and international sustainability initiatives have been launched by governments, private companies and citizens. By now it is clear that sustainability is not a hype but a permanent innovative force.

Is sustainable entrepeneurship only relevant for large corporations?
No, absolutely not. Sustainable entrepeneurship is relevant for every organisation because at bottom it is about running your business more efficiently, less wasteful and cost-saving – from energy consumption and mobility to waste. Everyone can take steps to reduce energy, switch to green energy and work towards an efficient mobility policy.

What's more, sustainability creates opportunities for innovation and brand recognition, it attracts (young) employees who want to contribute to a sustainable planet, and it may result in a larger and more diversified client portfolio. Essential, however, is that the ambitions and goals of a sustainable policy have sufficient support within the organisation.

What is green electricity?
Green electricity is power generated from sustainable sources such as sun, wind and water. By contrast, grey electricity is generated from non-sustainable and CO2 emitting sources like oil, gas and coal.

As both green and grey electricity are delivered to one grid, there's another way to distinguish green power. Green electricity consists of two components:

Fysical: the sustainably generated power;
2. Administrative: certificates of the power's sustainable source. These 'green certificates' are also called Guarantees of Origin (GoO, Garanties van Oorsprong).

Green certificates can also be purchased separately, in order to turn you grey power consumption green.

Read more about green electricity and green certificates offered by GreenBalance.

What is carbon offsetting?
Carbon offsetting means neutralising carbon emissions (from consuming non-sustainable energy) by reducing carbon emissions by an equal amount elsewhere. The net emissions are then zero. Countless sustainable energy and carbon reducing projects are currently being set up all over the world. Attached to these projects are certificates, or rights, which guarantee a certain production of green energy or a certain reduction of carbon emissions. Companies can purchase these certificates and thus offset their own carbon emissions.

Many organisations already use carbon offsetting to reduce their footprint (the total amount of greenhouse gases they emit). However, it is important to view carbon offsetting as an additional measure, after energy reduction and switching to sustainable energy. As both these measures take time to implement, carbon offsetting is an interesting solution in the short term. In the long term, however, more needs to be done besides only offsetting.

Read more about our carbon offset services.

What is climate change?
Our planet is surrounded by a 'blanket' of different gases which keep the surface of the earth warm and are thus the basis of life on earth. This blanket is getting thicker, which results in rising temperatures on earth. Heat is trapped by greenhouse gases (such as CO2) which are emitted into the air by combustion of fossile fuels, such as oil, gas, etc. Cutting down forests further adds to this process, because trees absorb a lot of greenhouse gases.

The result of all this is that our climate is changing. Scientific research indicates that rising temperatures will cause more extreme weather. It can also have a drastic impact on our ecosystem, seasonal cycle, flora and fauna - and ultimately for all life on earth.

What does carbon (CO2) have to do with this?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a gas that is released in combustion of fossile fuels like oil and gas. CO2 collects in the atmosphere, along with other gases, and creates a kind of blanket of gases that keep the earth warm. As humans have been using more and more fossile fuels in the part 100 years, more CO2 is released into the air. The blanket of gases is getting thicker, creating a greenhouse effect.

CO2 is the most important cause of this greenhouse effect, and thus of climate change. If we want to counteract climate change, we will have to drastically reduce the emission of CO2.

Has climate change really been proven?
Yes. The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN organisation consisting of hundreds of scientists from all over the world, has been analysing climate change since 1998. The IPCC states unequivocally that there is no more room for doubt as to whether our changing climate is caused by human activity, and specifically the emission of greenhouse gases.

The fact that the IPCC won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 is further proof of the global concensus on this issue. Climate change is real and we must act now.

What can we do about climate change?
We cannot stop the effects of greenhouse gases that have already been emitted. But we can influence the future. Virtually the entire scientific community is in agreement on the fact that we must act now in order to avoid drastic changes of temperature in the future.

Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas causing climate change. Thus, reducing CO2 emissions is the most important goal in counteracting climate change. There are roughly three ways to reduce carbon emissions:

By reducing energy consumption;
By using sustainable energy;
By offsetting the remainding non-sustainable energy.

Would you like to know more about sustainability and what you can do?
Please contact us.

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