Veterinary teams seeking to identify and implement greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures are challenged in determining precisely which areas of business are contributing the greatest GHGs and how to prioritize processes that expedite significant reductions. The US open-source Veterinary Carbon Calculator, V-CALC (Veterinary Carbon Accounting for Local Clinics), is specifically designed to accurately account for the environmental and carbon impacts of US based veterinary practice. This tool will enable you to quantify your veterinary specific emissions, encompassing GHG inventory categories Scope 1, 2 and 3.
V-CALC was created at Colorado State University Impact MBA Fellow Terryann Kirui in collaboration with the CSU veterinary research team (Caroline Kern-Allely, Danni Scott, Maddy Evans, Colleen Duncan) and VSAs Diccon Westworth.
V-CALC uses emissions factors primarily based on substantiated EPA guidelines and categories for GHG inventory reporting. Tabulated and graphed quantified emissions specific to your practice are provided allowing you to identify your emission hotspots, generate meaningful reduction targets, and develop effective environmental/carbon reduction action plans to implement. The calculator can be used for subsequent audits, so that you can reliably and repeatably monitor and track measurable progress as you advance towards your reduction goals.
Linked below are two downloadable files: the excel calculator workbook and the associated PDF user guide. We appreciate any feedback from clinical teams who pilot the resource! If you have questions about using this tool, please contact Diccon by email.
