By: Alexandra Kueller
This July, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol offered an online training session that covered the basics of the Corporate Standard, and it was the perfect introduction to corporate greenhouse gas accounting. With the Corporate Standard being widely used among businesses and organizations world wide, this three day course was great for your first introduction to GHG accounting or even those who needed a refresher course.
The Corporate Standard Training allows participants to gain knowledge and skills in 7 different categories:
- GHG Accounting and Reporting Principles
- Business Goals and Inventory Design
- Setting Organizational Boundaries
- Setting Operational Boundaries
- Tracking Emissions over Time
- Identifying and Calculating GHG Emissions
- Reporting GHG Emissions
Wanting a full, comprehensive knowledge of the Corporate Standards, I signed up for the webinar and gave it a go:
The Good
One of the biggest benefits of this course, unlike other GHG Protocol trainings, was that it had a live instructor. Being able to have your questions answered on the go is helpful, because all too often when you have to wait for the end of a presentation, you might have forgotten what you wanted to ask or don't remember what section of the presentation to reference.
Another great aspect of this webinar was the in-session exercises. After each main principle was covered, we were walked through the steps of how to complete that process on our own, and then given an exercise to do so. It was highly beneficial to have someone work through the problems with you and answer your questions on the spot.
The Bad
While the live aspect of the webinar was great overall, sometimes it could be a bit of a hassle. If the instructor ever went too quickly over a slide or you didn't catch what they said, you wouldn't be able to go back and re-listen. You did have the option of pulling up the powerpoint on your computer, but by doing so, you might have missed what the presenter was currently talking about.
Another downside was the length of course. By day three I was having difficulty staying focused. I think all 10.5 hours are necessary, but I would rather see it condensed into two days rather than three.
Overall
This course offered an excellent introduction to the Corporate Standard and GHG accounting. If you are new to emissions reporting or are wanting a formal class that breaks down the details, then I would highly encourage you to sign up for the next webinar. But if you are someone that has years of experience, then there really is no need for you to take this course.
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