Alta’s Air, Carbon, Energy & Sustainability (ACES) practice is a multidisciplinary, solution-based approach to solving our clients’ energy and environmental resource challenges.
Our approach includes combining three critical components:
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING
We work in collaboration with our clients to identify and strategize solutions for challenging issues.
Our ACES consultants are recognized, accredited, subject matter experts with many decades of cumulative experience.
Air Quality Services
Air permitting (ATC, PTO, PSD and Title V)
CEQA technical section development
HHRAs for inhalation pathway
RMPs and many other type of technical services
GHG and Carbon Management Services
Identification and development of GHG performance metrics, carbon inventories and verification for client members of the following organizations:
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
The Climate Registry (TCR)
California Climate Action Registry (CCAR)
USEPA GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule (MRR)
California Air Resources Board (CARB)
UK’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC)
Energy, Efficiency, Green Building, and CSR
Consulting, permitting and planning for renewables and sustainability infrastructure
Wind and solar development, waste-to-energy, biofuels and bioenergy project and pollution prevention projects
ASHRAE benchmarking, Energy Star, the US Green Building Council’s LEED building performance rating system
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
Water and Waste management
DATA MANAGEMENT
We help address the diversity and complexity of technical information that informs and drives client operations.
As more organizations implement sustainability programs, and new corporate Directors of Sustainability are hired every week, data management practices become critical to ensure accurate reporting, both internally and externally.
Data Mapping
Alta provides data mapping, verification and visualization services, including sophisticated dash-boarding to allow for strategic, near real-time decision-making.
We support our clients with data mapping to establish and document the flow of data within the organization. The careful selection and utilization of a data management platform can enable dashboarding of key data and can allow for granularity and transparency. The intent is a strategic approach to reporting that includes both internal and external, and regulatory and voluntary registries.
Organizational Assessment and Strategy
Alta’s ACES are experts in implementing strategic approaches to help understand operational control, organizational boundaries, emissions and usage quantification methodologies, data monitoring, quality control and training programs to ensure efficiency in data collection methods across facilities and team members.
Key Performance Indicators
Alta supports identification of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are consistent with both organizational and business goals. Effective KPIs should benchmark and measure performance with an approach that is both understandable and actionable at the C-Suite level of the organization. For example, a carbon intensity KPI measuring carbon emissions/revenue is more effective than a KPI that is unconnected to an organization’s business goals.
Carbon is commoditized in both the European and California Cap and Trade programs, making data management and reporting important as the potential organizational risk from inaccurate sustainability data becomes greater. While the Carbon-Energy metric is currently an active area, the same management principles apply to water, waste reduction and waste diversion.
Finally, there are numerous options and frameworks in terms of reporting formats, protocols and registries; our ACES team support our clients in this critical ROI evaluation based on rigorous data analytics and management.
SUSTAINABILITY ENGINEERING
Alta provides an integrated implementation solution in partnership with our clients and alliance channel partners.
Once our clients have addressed compliance and voluntary reporting, both internally and externally, and have a stable data management platform in place, we will support them in focusing on operational efficiency through sustainability engineering.
Sustainable Network Authorized Partners (SNAP)
Alta’s Sustainable Network Authorized Partners (SNAP) program allows us to engage our channel partner network to engineer solutions for client challenges in achieving carbon, energy, water and waste management goals. Through SNAP we can rapidly access expert providers of scalable solar, wind, geothermal, energy efficiency, e-waste recyclers, drought-resistant landscape architects, water conservation specialists and many other sustainable solution providers.
Cost Effective Solutions
We will work in concert with our SNAP alliance partners to engineer cost effective solutions that produce operational efficiencies, competitive advantage and sustainable results. We will also support ongoing monitoring, management and course corrections as appropriate.
Ultimately our fully integrated solution will allow our client partners to produce their products and services more efficiently and cost effectively.
Because we provide the consulting, data management and sustainability engineering aspects of a solution, it allows us to support continuous improvement and long-term, ongoing, mutually beneficial relationships with all our clients.
Technical Services
Alta’s diverse client base benefits from our multi-disciplinary approach to sustainability. Alta provides expert assessment, compliance reporting, and organizational management strategy for energy, air, waste, and water issues. We help our clients to complete facility-level and campus assessments, sustainability reporting and documentation, voluntary and mandatory regulatory compliance standards, internal policy development, and programmatic implementation strategies.
Our core sustainability services include:
Energy Efficiency:Benchmarking, ASHRAE Level 1 and Level 2 audits, efficiency recommendations, energy policy development
GHG Reporting and Verification: Reporting and emissions inventory management, GHG verification, emission reduction planning, carbon intensity metrics & policies
Environmental Management Systems: Environmental and Sustainability Data Management, Data Visualization and Analytics, ISO 14000 – EMS program design, certification preparation, & pre-auditing.
Corporate Social Responsibility: Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Compliance Standards based corporate sustainability & social responsibility reporting with deep expertise in CDP disclosures and protocols, including Corporate Value Chain assessments and program development
Corporate Green Team Training: Alta is experienced in providing Green Team training. This is essential to ensure corporate sustainability goals are internally adopted and supported by employees and incorporated into regular business operations. Active Green Team programs are also essential for achieving and maintaining LEED certification.
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