Tom Baumann Director, Strategic Solutions and Partnerships, Co-Founder
The motivation started for me in 2002 when I was the manager of GHG measurement and reporting for a GHG technology fund for the government of Canada with over 100 projects in the portfolio, and my primary responsibility was to determine the verifiable GHG benefits of our investments. It was technically demanding work and too much for one person. I dreamed about a day when something like the GHG Management Institute would exist so that I could draw on a range of qualified GHG experts with specialized technical expertise to undertake this new area of challenging work. In 2007, when I co-founded my own company, ClimateCHECK, with my long-time colleague Patrick Hardy, we decided we wanted to start the GHG Management Institute – to quote Gandhi – ‘be the change you wish to see in the world.’
We had neither investors nor major partners to make this idea a reality – we only knew others with similar interests and character to make it happen. Among our first actions was to contact Michael Gillenwater, Executive Director of the GHG Experts Network. Michael also had a cooperation ongoing with Gao Pronove of Govida (previously with the Earth Council in Geneva). Within months we all joined and launched the GHG Management Institute (GHGMI). Soon afterwards, we were fortunate to be partnered with the World Resource Institute and the Carbon Disclosure Project. Since then, more and more leading organizations have decided to partner with GHGMI in a team effort to make GHGMI a growing success. We still need more visionary funders to support GHGMI; but, our resolve to make GHGMI a success and useful resource for everyone is undiminished.
Being a registered professional engineer, among my first priorities was to lead the development of GHGMI’s Code of Conduct to serve as a guide for professional standards of practice. Competency, ethics and duty of care are fundamental characteristics all service providers and solution providers should possess – addressing global climate change particularly requires us all to be our best.
Right now, my particular interest at GHGMI is in developing new online tools that can help GHGMI’s community to apply their knowledge from GHGMI’s training programs. These new online tools, including an online platform for standards development and expert collaboration, will empower the GHG community to create solutions for their customers and stakeholders. With the global scale of GHGMI’s community, and with the new tools we are launching on our 3rd anniversary this fall, we hope to catalyze a global network to function at the highest standards and to achieve ever greater positive impacts to address climate change.
