Expertise: Professional Services

Santa Cruz County is the latest agency to gain firm’s environmental expertise.

Supplier Leadership Index is newest way to benchmark best practices and for CDP Supply Chain Program Members to evaluate suppliers IRVINE, CA and LONDON, UK (January 21, 2014) – FirstCarbon Solutions (FCS), a pioneer in environmental and sustainability business solutions, and  CDP, the leading NGO providing the only global environmental disclosure system, today announced the debut publication of the Supplier Climate Performance Leadership Index (SCPLI), a new evaluation and benchmarking tool for CDP supply chain members and suppliers. Compiled by FCS on behalf of CDP, the index is based on supply chain program data from 2,868 suppliers that are disclosing climate change data at the request of CDP’s 64 supply chain members, which represent a combined spending power of nearly US$1.15 trillion. The 79 companies included in the index demonstrate strong and transparent climate strategies and emissions reduction programs. “Suppliers have been asking for a way to benchmark their climate change performance since FCS became the exclusive scoring partner for the CDP Supply Chain program in 2011,” says Robert Francisco, president of FirstCarbon Solutions. “With the launch of the Supplier Leadership Index, FCS and CDP recognize the top 3% of suppliers who are committed to integrating climate resiliency programs into their overall business strategies which leads to unprecedented operational efficiencies, cost savings, revenue opportunities, and positive planet stewardship.” These leading suppliers demonstrate a number of defining characteristics in their CDP survey responses, including:

• Board-level oversight on climate planning along with monetary incentives for emission reductions
• Substantive detail on how climate change is integrated into risk management and corporate strategy planning
• Scope 1 and Scope 2 reduction targets
• Evidence of Scope 1 & Scope 2 emissions reduction activities that delivered significant results
• Independent third-party assurance of Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions

“Introducing a supplier performance leadership index into CDP’s supply chain program will drive best practice. We have great insights into the fact that big multinational purchasers – namely our members – are increasingly demanding that their suppliers take action on mitigating climate change risks. Suppliers need to improve their levels of sustainability to differentiate themselves from their competitors or they will lose business” said Nigel Topping, Executive Director, CDP.” The full supply chain report, including names of companies featured in the SCPLI and the methodology used, can be found at https://www.cdp.net/en/reports/downloads/633. About CDP CDP is an international, not-for-profit organization providing the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information.  CDP works with market forces, including 722 institutional investors with assets of US$87 trillion, to motivate companies to disclose their impacts on the environment and natural resources and take action to reduce them.  CDP now holds the largest collection globally of primary climate change, water and forest risk commodities information and puts these insights at the heart of strategic business, investment and policy decisions.  Please visit www.cdp.net or follow us @CDP to find out more. About FirstCarbon Solutions FCS advances sustainable practices around the world and helps organizations responsibly grow and operate their businesses. Seamlessly delivering fully integrated, cost-effective consulting, data management and software solutions, FCS helps clients save time, reduce costs, optimize resource use, and drive operational efficiencies in a world where sustainability matters. With more than 30 years of environmental and sustainability consulting experience, FCS meets its clients’ ever-evolving environmental and compliance needs in energy, air and carbon management; environmental assessments and planning; supply and life cycle assessments; permitting and compliance; software and data processing. FirstCarbon Solutions is a member of ADEC Innovations, a global provider of onshore managed services and offshore outsourcing solutions for governments and businesses worldwide. For additional information, visit ADEC Innovations ESG Solutions website.

FirstCarbon Solutions Selected To Prepare Environmental Studies For L.A.’s Groundbreaking Hollywood Central Park Project LOS ANGELES and IRVINE, CA (February 27, 2013) — FirstCarbon Solutions, a pioneer and industry leader in environmental sustainability solutions for business, and the Friends of Hollywood Central Park (FHCP), a non-profit organization dedicated to building the Hollywood Central Park, today announced that FirstCarbon Solutions has been selected to prepare the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and other necessary studies for the groundbreaking and transformative Hollywood Central Park (HCP) project. Supporting one of the most dense and green space-starved neighborhoods in Los Angeles, HCP is a planned 44-acre street level urban park built over a one-mile stretch of the Hollywood Freeway (US 101). The Park began as an idea more than 28 years ago. In 2006, it progressed from a Hollywood Chamber of Commerce initiative to a Hollywood Community coalition and finally to Friends of the Hollywood Central Park, a nonprofit organization. FHCP is dedicated to raising funds to create a new urban park in Hollywood by covering a portion of the Hollywood Freeway (US 101) as it travels below grade between Hollywood and Santa Monica Boulevards. Funding for the EIR was made possible by a generous $1.2 million donation from the Aileen Getty Foundation. Additionally, the City of Los Angeles contributed $825,000. In November 2012, an RFP (request for proposal) was issued to interested parties. Five firms submitted proposals which were evaluated by FHCP community Board members, legal counsel and Caltrans consultants. In-person interviews were conducted in December, 2012, and on January 10, 2013, the selection of FirstCarbon Solutions was announced at For Love of Hollywood Gala benefiting the Hollywood Central Park. FHCP President Laurie Goldman said FirstCarbon Solutions was selected because of the firm’s strong technical qualifications and its shared passion and understanding of the needs of the Hollywood community. “Hollywood is a bold community and constructing the Hollywood Central Park is a bold move,” Goldman said. “With this one project, Los Angeles will address the economy, the environment, the health of its residents and their quality of life. Los Angeles will become the leader in sustainable cities and livable communities. We are proud to have the forward-thinking FirstCarbon Solutions as our partner to lead the project’s EIR process,” Goldman continued. In cooperation with Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, the EIR lead agency, FirstCarbon Solutions will deliver high-quality environmental services and support the timely implementation of the HCP project through preparation of the required California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documentation on behalf of FHCP. As part of the EIR and other necessary studies, the FirstCarbon Solutions team will provide a whole host of technical analyses in conformance with CEQA and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. These include community impact assessments, traffic/circulation studies, noise and vibration assessments, air quality studies, as well as conducting geotechnical and hazards/hazardous materials investigations. Reuniting communities separated for more than 50 years, the Hollywood Central Park is a creative place making infrastructure project that contributes toward the livability of Hollywood and the Los Angeles region by transforming US 101 into a lively, beautiful, sustainable place with the promotion of healthier lifestyles, environmental justice and long term economic security at its core. “Building a Hollywood Central Park over the 101 Freeway is a visionary idea that would create open space in one of L.A.’s most dense neighborhoods. The Park will be a destination for the local community and shine as a global model of innovation in urban living,” said LA City Council Member Eric Garcetti. “It’s wonderful that Friends of the Hollywood Central Park selected FirstCarbon Solutions and are moving us closer to making this vision a reality.” With its global headquarters in Irvine, California, FirstCarbon Solutions recently opened a new Los Angeles office at 11601 Wilshire Boulevard to expand its ability to offer fully integrated environmental sustainability solutions to its growing base of clients and prospects in the region. The environmental and sustainability consulting firm has provided environmental support for many L.A.-based agencies, including The L.A. Department of Water and Power, the L.A. World Airports and the L.A. Parks and Recreation Department. In addition, FirstCarbon Solutions was recently selected as an On-Call Consultant Member for the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering. “Consistent with our founding principle that sustainability matters, FirstCarbon Solutions is thrilled to help implement the vision Edward V. Hunt had over 28 years ago – that Hollywood needed a park to bring neighborhoods together but didn’t have the adequate space. Reclaiming the airspace above the Hollywood Freeway trench for use as an urban park is an innovative and efficient alternative to purchasing land,” said Robert A. Francisco, President, FirstCarbon Solutions. As a member of ADEC Innovations, a global enterprise with more than 5,000 employees and operations in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, FirstCarbon Solutions is the only company to have in-depth, broad environmental and sustainability expertise combined with extensive back office processing and software capabilities that can be rapidly mobilized to augment or free up internal resources, allowing organizations to focus on their core activities and more strategic initiatives. About Friends of the Hollywood Central Park FHCP is a non-profit organization dedicated to building the Hollywood Central Park, a 44-acre street urban level park over the Hollywood Freeway as it travels below grade through the heart of Hollywood. The Hollywood Central Park is a landmark infrastructure project that will reunite diverse and dense communities separated for more than 50 years by the Hollywood Freeway, strengthen the economy through job creation and increased tourism dollars, provide healthy communities and provide children with open green space in which to grow and thrive. The Hollywood Central Park will transform Hollywood’s disadvantaged communities into thriving economic engines and is an investment in our children, our community and our future. For more information visit http://hollywoodcentralpark.org. About FirstCarbon Solutions FCS advances sustainable practices around the world and helps organizations responsibly grow and operate their businesses. Seamlessly delivering fully integrated, cost-effective consulting, data management and software solutions, FCS helps clients save time, reduce costs, optimize resource use, and drive operational efficiencies in a world where sustainability matters. With more than 30 years of environmental and sustainability consulting experience, FCS meets its clients’ ever-evolving environmental and compliance needs in energy, air and carbon management; environmental assessments and planning; supply and life cycle assessments; permitting and compliance; software and data processing. FirstCarbon Solutions is a member of ADEC Innovations, a global provider of onshore managed services and offshore outsourcing solutions for governments and businesses worldwide. For additional information, visit FirstCarbon Solutions website.

FirstCarbon Solutions, a pioneer in environmental management optimization, today announced that it is providing data management support for California Energy Commission’s Cash for Appliances rebate program. WEST CHESTER, Pa., May 11, 2010 — FirstCarbon Solutions, a pioneer in environmental management optimization, today announced that it is providing data management support for California Energy Commission’s Cash for Appliances rebate program. FirstCarbon Solutions is overseeing customer call center support, evaluating rebate applications, and working to process and approve applications in a timely and cost-effective manner. Applications will then be distributed to Energy Commission for payment processing and issuing. Since April 22, California consumers have been able to trade in appliances such as old refrigerators, clothes washing machines, and room air conditioners for new energy efficient models. The Cash for Appliances rebate program will offer rebate incentives from the $35.2 million in federal stimulus funding California received from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).FirstCarbon Solutions was selected as a result of a competitive bid solicitation based on the overall quality of service and efficiency the company delivers to its customers. The Energy Commission will benefit from a cost-effective program that decreases operating costs for the State of California while conserving budget-constrained resources and keeping the majority of funds within the state. “Processing data for sustainability programmes poses many challenges for organisations,” said Dailey Tipton, vice president, sales and marketing, FirstCarbon Solutions. “Whether it’s a customer rebate program from a state energy office or a company trying to create an accurate and verifiable carbon footprint, success begins with effectively managing data. The Energy Commission’s effort to improve California’s long-term energy efficiency goals is the latest example of the kinds of sustainability initiatives FirstCarbon Solutions can support.” FirstCarbon Solutions combines environmental consulting and GHG emissions management software to allow organisations to optimise their sustainability initiatives. For regulated industries struggling with how to assure compliance with new environmental reporting requirements, FirstCarbon Solutions provides the an end-to-end environmental management solution that helps companies quickly identify and collect the necessary data and accurately calculate a carbon footprint without draining an organisation’s internal resources. For organisations not yet subject to carbon regulation, but where carbon has a material impact on business operations, FirstCarbon Solutions quantifies the cost of carbon and transforms that cost into business opportunity. The California Cash for Appliances website – www.cash4appliances.org – explains the rebate program and offers information such as the forms that consumers are required to fill out once the new efficient appliance is purchased. This will help consumers find eligible appliances and fill out forms correctly, delivering and installing energy efficient appliances and recycling old models to California certified recyclers. The website also lists the partner retailers who have signed on to the program, including “Platinum Partner” stores, which offer a full-service to consumers.

About FirstCarbon Solutions

FirstCarbon Solutions advances sustainable practices around the world and helps organizations responsibly grow and operate their businesses. Seamlessly delivering fully integrated, cost-effective consulting, data management and software solutions, FCS helps clients save time, reduce costs, optimize resource use, and drive operational efficiencies in a world where sustainability matters. With more than 30 years of environmental and sustainability consulting experience, FCS meets its clients’ ever-evolving environmental and compliance needs in energy, air and carbon management; environmental assessments and planning; supply and life cycle assessments; permitting and compliance; software and data processing. FirstCarbon Solutions is a member of ADEC Innovations, a global provider of onshore managed services and offshore outsourcing solutions for governments and businesses worldwide.