Download SECTION II. PROJECT MEASUREMENTS Each year, KY EXCEL

Voluntary Project Proposal Form
Return this completed form and any attachments to:
KY EXCEL
Division of Compliance Assistance
300 Fair Oaks Ln
Frankfort, KY 40601
1-800-926-8111
PROJECT SUMMARY
Project Title: Carbon Offsetting Project
Anticipated Completion Date:
12/31/2011
Primary Audience: Individuals & Organizations
Project Description:
For our KY EXCEL project, we at MACED aim to be carbon neutral for 2011. We have already taken
drastic steps to reduce our environmental impact by using energy efficient appliances, lights, heating and
cooling systems, vehicles and more. We also do the simple things, like turning off lights when we step out
of our offices, purchasing insulated blinds to improve the buildings passive-solar abilities, recycling all our
paper waste and composting all organic materials. But we want to do more. This year we will track all
carbon dioxide emitted by MACED that we were simply unable to avoid – carbon dioxide emitted by
airline and company vehicle travel as well as electricity use. After totaling the amount of metric tons of
carbon dioxide we have unavoidably emitted into the atmosphere we will purchase carbon offsets
generated from non-industrial, private forestland in eastern Kentucky and Central Appalachia through
MACED’s Stewards of Appalachia project, making MACED carbon neutral for the year 2011.
Stewards of Appalachia is a project of MACED that connects private forest landowners to the resources
and financial assistance they need to practice sustainable forest management and participate in the
carbon offset market. MACED then markets and sells these offsets to individuals, businesses and
organizations looking to offset their emissions and invest in natural resource restoration in the region. By
purchasing Appalachian Forest Offsets, MACED is showing its commitment to Appalachian family forest
owners and environmental stewardship in the region.
PROJECT MEASUREMENTS
Carbon dioxide emissions will be recorded (in metric tons) for all airline and company vehicle travel
(based on distance traveled and fuel efficiency of the car or airplane) as well as electricity use (based on
how much electricity we consume monthly). These emissions will be totaled for the entire year of 2011.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT
One important way to curb anthropogenic causes of global climate change is to reduce greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions. While it is impossible to completely eliminate all GHG emissions produced by humans,
purchasing carbon offsets ensures that unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions are being used
productively by nature.
Our project to become carbon neutral will not only support the environment, its ecosystems and wildlife,
but it will also reward responsible forest management and hasten the necessary global transformation to
a low-carbon future. For example, 90% of forestland in the Appalachian region is privately owned, but
less than 5% is being managed. By purchasing carbon offsets from Stewards of Appalachia, we hope to
encourage others to enroll and manage their forestland because this provides countless ecosystem
services locally and globally.
Managed forestlands:

generate long-term forest health;

enhance water quality;

improve and conserve soil quality;

protect and restore forest biodiversity;

create a thriving wildlife habitat;

enhance community economic development; and

facilitate carbon sequestration.
This project is an attempt to achieve the triple bottom line economic, social and environmental goals for
our business by showing our values through our operations.
VOLUNTARY PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM INSTRUCTIONS
This form is used to submit proposed voluntary environmental projects for KY EXCEL program
participation. One form should be completed for each separate project being conducted. If needed,
supporting information can also be attached to this form.
SECTION I. PROJECT SUMMARY
Project Title: Enter the title of the project. Select a title that generally describes the project.
Examples of project titles could include: paper recycling program; hazardous waste reduction project; or
increasing energy efficiency.
Anticipated Completion Date: Indicate the estimated timeline for completing the project. This
timeframe could be a specific date, such as July 14, 2008, or a more general statement like winter of
2009.
Primary Audience: Identify the individuals that will be most affected by the completion of this project.
For example, your project may be targeted toward your company’s employees, a student group, or the
general public.
Project Description: In one page or less, describe your proposed project in more detail. Assume that
the reader will have limited information on the project so provide enough detail for the reader to
understand the project and its objectives.
SECTION II. PROJECT MEASUREMENTS
Each year, KY EXCEL members are required to report the results that were achieved by each voluntary
project. Use this section to list how your organization will be measuring these results. KY EXCEL
understands that not all projects will be easy to measure, but strongly encourages its members to
quantify their project results as much as possible. It is acceptable to have more than one measurement
for each project. Some examples of measurements include: the number of people trained, the pounds
of hazardous waste reduced, the tons of paper recycled, and the number of acres of trees planted.
SECTION III. ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT
Describe the environmental benefits that would be expected as a result of completing the proposed
voluntary project.
If you have any questions regarding KY EXCEL or the use of this form,
contact KY EXCEL by calling toll-free at 1-800-926-8111