by jboullion | Aug 11, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Kathy Bergstrom in the Business Journal of Milwaukee:
Officials at Quad/Graphics Inc. see efforts to increase energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint as an opportunity to be both a better corporate citizen and a better company.
“Being efficient is just being socially responsible, and it’s frankly good business,” said Joe Muehlbach, director of facilities and environmental policy for the Sussex-based commercial printer. “If you’re not conscious of your energy consumption and your emissions, you in fact are probably a struggling business.”
Wisconsin business and environmental leaders said many companies are already taking steps to conserve energy and reduce waste because it makes good business sense. Rising energy prices mean those moves have an even bigger impact on a company’s bottom line.
But some leaders say embracing environmental responsibility at times requires more flexibility when looking at return on investment for an energy or environmental project.
From manufacturers such as Racine-based S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. to retailers such as Kohl’s Department Stores of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin businesses are taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and use less energy.
“The really good thing about climate change and business is that almost all the things that are good to address reducing carbon emissions and global warming emissions are also profit making for businesses,” said Steve Hiniker, executive director of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, an environmental group based in Madison.
Quad/Graphics is one of seven Wisconsin companies listed as participants in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program, which had 196 total members as of July 2.
Companies agree to complete a corporate-wide inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions, set long-term reduction goals and annually report their progress to the EPA, according to the agency’s Web site.
The program started in 2002, and the other Wisconsin members are Johnson Controls Inc., Glendale; Kohl’s; MillerCoors, Milwaukee; S.C. Johnson; the former Stora Enso, now NewPage Corp.; and Western States Envelope & Label, Butler.
by jboullion | Aug 7, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Sturtevant – Energy-saving lighting that could help cities in Alaska to Australia save on the cost of electricity in street lights is creating global growth opportunities for Ruud Lighting Inc.
Ruud Lighting’s LED street light fixtures use 50% less energy than a conventional street light, company President Alan Ruud says. The lights will be installed on some Racine streets.
Sue Ailes tests LED panels that make up new street light fixtures produced by Ruud Lighting of Racine. The city will install the lights along several streets. Other cities in the United States and around the world also have purchased the long-lasting, energy-saving fixtures.
AdvertisementRuud Lighting on Tuesday celebrated a new energy-saving street light fixture coming off the assembly line. The street light fixtures will soon be installed on several streets in Racine, Mayor Gary Becker said.
Ruud Lighting’s Beta Lighting division is seeing increased interest in LED technology because of demands to reduce costs through energy efficiency and to avoid the use of hazardous materials, such as mercury, in energy-efficient light fixtures, said Alan Ruud, company president.
The privately held company and its lighting partner, Cree Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., won a contract under which the City of Anchorage will replace all of its 16,000 light fixtures over the next four years. The first 4,000 fixtures were approved last week under a $2.2 million appropriation announced by Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.
In Racine, where the electric bill for street lighting is $2 million a year, Becker said the city already uses the Ruud BetaLED fixtures at the Racine Civic Center parking garage.
“Anything we can do to cut costs and help the environment and save energy is a plus,” Becker said. “And we know electricity prices are not going down. It’s just a matter of how quickly it’s going to go up.”
Ruud Lighting has patents to develop fixtures that incorporate technology from Cree, an LED lighting manufacturer.
The company employs about 550 people and has added about 12 since last year, said Christopher Ruud, executive vice president.
by jboullion | Jul 31, 2008 | Uncategorized
From the Midwest Renewable Energy Association:
Interested in showcasing your new renewable energy installation at your home or business? Sign-up for the Wisconsin Solar Tour, October 3 & 4, 2008. Open your doors, and help others learn about renewable energy, green building and sustainable practices. Fill out the online application.
by jboullion | Jul 21, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a media release issued by Johnson Controls:
MILWAUKEE, July 21 /PRNewswire/ — The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) and Johnson Controls, a global leader in creating smart and sustainable environments, announced new research on energy efficiency in healthcare. The results give the healthcare industry reason to celebrate. Not only do healthcare executives place a higher priority on energy efficiency than
executives in
other industries, they are more likely to expect to make improvements over the coming year. . . .
Healthcare executives place greater importance on energy efficiency than others. Only 57 percent of respondents to the multi-industry study called energy efficiency “extremely important” or “very important,” compared with 65 percent of healthcare respondents. Healthcare organizations are consequently more likely than companies in other industries to invest in energy efficiency. Two thirds (67 percent) of healthcare organizations reported plans to spend capital on energy efficiency this year, compared to 56 percent in the multi-industry survey. Moreover, healthcare organizations will tolerate a longer payback period (4.2 years) on energy efficiency projects than other industries (3.6 years).
Skyrocketing Energy Prices Motivate Investment in Energy Efficiency
Survey respondents project energy price increases of 11 percent this year. On average, healthcare organizations will spend eight percent of their capital budgets and six percent of their operating budgets to conserve energy over the coming year. Their drive toward energy efficiency is motivated primarily by cost, with 59 percent of respondents saying that the need to control costs is a greater motivator than environmental responsibility.
“We live in an age of rising energy prices and growing environmental consciousness,” said Clay Nesler, vice president of global energy and sustainability, Johnson Controls. “All industries are investing more aggressively to control energy costs and improve their sustainability. We believe this is a long term trend. . . .”
Interest in Renewable Energy Grows
Healthcare has not adopted renewable energy technology to the same degree as other industries. More than two thirds (68 percent) of respondents to the multi-industry study have invested in renewable technologies or have actively considered investing. Only 38 percent of healthcare organizations reported similar interest in renewable energy. Included in this number, 25 percent of healthcare organizations have looked actively at solar energy, and significant numbers have shown interest in other technologies such as biomass, geothermal and wind.
“Finding sites for energy generating equipment like solar panels and wind turbines can be a challenge for compact urban hospitals, but it is a challenge that can be overcome,” notes Don Albinger, vice present of renewable energy, Johnson Controls. “Our job is to educate healthcare leaders about new, creative and cost effective techniques for incorporating renewable energy in space constrained settings.”
by jboullion | Jul 2, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a media release issued by Focus on Energy:
On Dec. 31, 2007 Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, launched a contest to find a Milwaukee area family with a home in need of energy efficient improvements. The contest, named Home Energy Makeover, was sponsored by Focus on Energy in partnership with WITI-TV FOX 6 and awarded one lucky winner with energy efficient improvements for their home, including insulation and air sealing, ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances and a new furnace, air conditioner and tankless water heater. . . .
John and Corinne Kangas of Waukesha, Wis., were named the winners of the contest, valued at approximately $20,000, on Feb. 3, 2008 during halftime of the Super Bowl telecast. It wasn’t long after the announcement that the Kangas home began its energy transformation.
“We found out we had won the contest when we saw the TV commercial announcing the winner during the Super Bowl. My family was jumping up and down – we were so excited,” said Corinne Kangas. “Our home is older, so knowing we won’t have to worry about things like the furnace or the air conditioner gives us great peace of mind. Plus, we couldn’t wait to learn about the process of making our home more energy efficient.”
For several weeks, FOX 6 joined the homeowners on their journey to energy efficiency, covering such details as the energy evaluation of the home, the advantages of ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and the installation of a tankless water heater. Through each step, FOX 6 viewers learned how they could benefit from the same improvements to their homes.
“By identifying what the home needed and then making the necessary improvements, the Kangas family can expect to save approximately 30 percent on their energy bills,” said Rich Marshall, Focus on Energy Project Manager. “More importantly, if other homeowners made just a few of the improvements the Kangas family received they could save significantly too.”
