For the DIY workshop, it is helpful to create a greenhouse gas balance for your company in advance in order to record the current situation. This will enable more specific assessment of the most important fields of action and priorities for measures later in the workshop.

The greenhouse gas balance can be recorded with various (online) software tools. In the CO₂ Tool Kit for climate pioneers, from the Green Tech Valley Cluster, you will find a collection of tools and further information (in German language). Some examples:

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator, United Nations Climate Change (free of charge & easy to use Excel Tool)
• BearingPoint, BearingPoint Holding B.V. (free demo version for Emissions Calculator Software)

To determine the greenhouse gas balance, there are various Standards (e.g. the GHG Greenhouse Gas Protocol or ISO 14064:1). The greenhouse gas balance relates to one year (reference year) and includes all greenhouse gases regulated under the Kyoto Protocol, using CO₂ plus NF₃ (Nitrogen Trifluoride, which is not included in the Kyoto Protocol).

The emissions for the greenhouse gas balance are divided into direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2 and 3) emissions:

Scope 1 takes into account emissions from sources directly owned by the company: process-related emissions, vehicle fleet, volatile gases, refrigerants emitted.

Scope 2 includes all indirect emissions that are emitted through the procurement of energy sources. This includes emissions from the generation of electricity, steam, fuels and district heating and cooling.

Scope 3 takes into account indirect emission sources that arise due to upstream activities (purchased goods, capital goods, logistics, etc.) and downstream activities (transport and distribution, end-user use, end-of-life, etc.).

At the beginning of the DIY workshop, it can be helpful to the workshop team if the moderator gives a brief overview of all card categories and action cards.

An overview of the measures in all categories also helps the moderator to sensibly distribute the work assignments in the workshop team.

The long-term success of sustainability measures depends heavily on the commitment of managers and the workforce. Therefore, plan enough time to discuss any negative reservations and to work through the personal goals of workshop participants in the group. Personal goals engage the group at a practical level oriented towards implementation and make it easier to define concrete measures.

As a moderator, also pay attention to ambitious, personal goals of individual workshop participants. They often contain a lot of heart and soul of the individual, but the measures could be of less importance and impact for the goal of the company. As a moderator, you should give guidance to see the “big picture”, how to take advantage of current opportunities and how to achieve the major goals that have been developed.

The pictures on the action cards can elicit approval or disapproval for a measure. As a moderator, guide your team to be inspired by the images, but not to be influenced in making decisions.

Our creative thinking finds it easier to come up with possible solutions when a question is posed to us. Therefore, use questions in the workshop, e.g.: “How can we do it…?” to facilitate the generation of ideas and measures.

What makes a good question?

• Simple, easy-to-understand sentences with no jargon.
• The core of the problem should be formulated as a contradiction in the question.
  For example: How can we get more customers with the same budget?
• The question must explicitly contain relevant framework conditions/restrictions.

The Green Transformation Cards serve as a basis for inspiration to develop your own measures and ideas. To ensure that the original context is not lost, you can stick post-it notes with your own ideas or derived measures on the corresponding basic measure card and place them together on the Green Transformation Canvas.