Patent ID: 7873552

Claim:
A method comprising: determining using a computer, a plurality of revenue loss functions associated with a plurality of respective business units, wherein the plurality of revenue loss functions calculate an amount of revenue that each of the plurality of respective business units loses from reducing emissions by the plurality of business units and wherein the plurality of revenue loss functions are functions of a plurality of recommended waste credit reduction amounts, wherein the plurality of recommended waste credit reduction amounts are unknown at a time of the determining the plurality of revenue loss functions, and wherein the plurality of revenue loss functions are different for each of the plurality of respective business units, wherein the determining the plurality of revenue loss functions further comprises reading a plurality of historical data associated with the plurality of business units, wherein each of the plurality of historical data comprises historical waste credits saved and associated historical revenue losses that were caused by actions taken to save the historical waste credits and creating the plurality of revenue loss functions that describe a plurality of curves that fit the historical waste credits saved and the historical revenue losses; receiving a plurality of waste credit constraints associated with the plurality of respective business units; calculating a recommended waste credit purchase amount and the plurality of recommended waste credit reduction amounts associated with the plurality of respective business units, wherein the calculating further comprises minimizing a sum of the plurality of the revenue loss functions and a purchase function, subject to the waste credit constraints, a purchase constraint, and a reduction goal constraint and storing the recommended waste credit purchase amount in computer memory; and presenting the recommended waste credit purchase amount and the plurality of recommended waste credit reduction amounts via an output device.