Zero carbon footprint gardens

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Earth's temperature has increased by 0.8ºC and each of the last three decades has been successively warmer than any other decade since 1850. Most of the warming in the last 50 years has probably been caused by human activities, including the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases that have an effect on global climate, leading to climate change.

Our studio has a research line with which we have developed the necessary methodology to calculate the impact of our work on the environment. Through our DLAB platform, we have created a carbon foot print calculator for gardens with which we can quickly calculate the impact of our work and thus act to mitigate it.

What are greenhouse gases?

Climate change is one of the greatest environmental, social, and economic threats facing nations, governments, industries, and citizens today. Initiatives have been developed worldwide at different scales to limit greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. These initiatives are based on the quantification, monitoring, reporting, and verification of emissions of these gases.

Greenhouse gas emissions are usually studied at the global, national, or industrial level, but it is also possible to quantify them at the organizational and product or service level by calculating their Carbon Footprint, which our studio has already calculated and we will explain how.

Carbon Footprint

The carbon footprint identifies the amount of GHG emissions that are released into the atmosphere, either directly or indirectly, by an individual or organization, event or product, due to the development of any activity. The carbon footprint allows identifying the sources of GHG emissions and their effect on climate change and thus establishing measures to reduce energy consumption and improve the use of resources and materials.

Currently, there are various standards and guidelines for calculating the Carbon Footprint of an organization, mostly promoted by prestigious public or private institutions: Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard (GHG Protocol), UNE-ISO 14064-1:2012, etc. There are also standards for calculating the carbon footprint in products or services: PAS 2050, GHG Protocol product standard, etc.

How is the carbon footprint calculated?

The following formula is applied to calculate the Carbon Footprint of an organization:

Carbon Footprint = Activity Data x Emission Factor

Activity Data is the parameter that defines the degree of GHG generating activity and as a result, a certain amount of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq) is obtained. CO2 is the most influential GHG in global warming and therefore GHG emissions are measured based on this gas. However, the Carbon Footprint not only includes direct emissions from production activities, known as Scope 1 emissions, but also external emissions indirectly linked to the activity, known as Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions.

Scope 1: Direct emissions directly derived from processes, vehicles, and properties.
Scope 2: Indirect emissions derived from the electricity, heating, and cooling used in all processes, vehicles, and properties.
Scope 3: Indirect emissions derived from these processes, subcontracted vehicles, and properties.

How do we calculate the carbon footprint at Dstudio?

The carbon footprint can be calculated for organizations as well as for their products or services. From our landscaping studio, we approach its calculation from both perspectives. On the one hand, we calculate the carbon footprint of our daily office operations (heating, transportation, etc.), and on the other hand, we calculate the carbon footprint of the projects we design and execute to ensure that they are sustainable and have a certified zero carbon footprint.

In addition to this, we offer all our clients an environmental consultancy service where we calculate the carbon footprint of completed projects to develop an improvement plan for their gardens and obtain the certification.

Calculation of the carbon footprint of our technical office

To calculate the carbon footprint of our technical office, we have taken into account all the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions resulting from our activities. We have calculated the emissions from the transportation of people who work in the office each day and those that result from daily production work (heating, air conditioning, etc.).

The total emissions are compensated by collaborating with associations in the sector through reforestation projects in our forests. These association projects also focus on the recovery of native vegetation and the fight against desertification in our country.

Calculation of the carbon footprint in garden construction and maintenance

Regarding the landscaping projects we design, we work on sustainable designs and issue our clients the respective zero carbon footprint certification. To achieve this, we perform a detailed calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the project from the initial design phases, during the execution of the work, and until the garden is delivered to our clients. Our studio even calculates the impact on greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the annual garden maintenance work in the years following its delivery.

To obtain this zero carbon footprint certification for our gardens, we calculate the emissions from all the actions carried out during their execution and offset them by collaborating on various reforestation projects that help counteract the negative effects of climate change. This calculation is carried out following various official protocols and methodologies mentioned above, and once the offsetting is done, an official certification is obtained, verifying that the emissions report is complete and accurate.

Beyond carbon footprint

In addition to the previous methodologies, our studio offers an environmental consulting service, which consists of calculating the greenhouse gas emissions generated in the maintenance activities of previously executed gardens. This allows us to identify critical points and define precise measures to reduce consumption and improve energy efficiency through an improvement plan. In this way, we carry out landscaping projects that are fully focused on reducing maintenance costs and environmental impact in private and corporate gardens, always with the quality guarantees of our studio.

If you are interested in learning more about our research project, you can visit our project here or write to us at dlab@dstudio.es.