2Sustain

In the wake of rising energy prices, businesses around the country are constantly searching for ways to cut costs and improve efficiencies. In fact, researchers estimate the energy consumption management industry is now a $5.2 billion industry in the US –and it’s growing at an astonishing 40 percent per year. However, the steady introduction of new vendors, each with its own version of “energy management” software, has generated a high level confusion and propelled the need for thoughtful analysis on current offerings.

Fortunately, Groom Energy Solutions provides some needed clarification with its new report, The Enterprise Smart Grid – a Corporate Buyer’s Guide for Energy Management Software. Responses from 65 interviews with corporate energy, facility and sustainability managers and vendors offering Enterprise Smart Grid related technologies identified 11 distinct functional areas and categorized the range of vendor solutions to assist companies as they develop their own energy management strategy.

For example, Groom Energy found that: (more…)

The world’s leading chemical company, BASF, has announced new ambitious environmental, health and safety goals.

Since BASF operates in an energy-intensive industry, it makes perfect business sense for the company to mitigate its energy and raw material risks by focusing on energy efficiency and then broader sustainability goals.

For example, by 2020, BASF wants to:

• Increase its energy efficiency –defined as the amount of sales products in relation to the primary energy demand – worldwide by 35 percent, compared to the previous goal of 25 percent.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions per ton of sales product by 40 percent compared to 2002.
• Reduce carbon emissions related to the amount and distance of transported natural gas by 10 percent compared with 2010.
• Reduce by half the current amount of drinking water in use for production compared to 2010.
• Establish sustainable water management systems at all production sites in areas of water stress.

These new ambitions mesh well with BASF’s past progress. As of last year, the company had: (more…)

Anheuser-Busch InBev and GE have formed a strategic alliance to drive energy efficiency and water savings in existing and greenfield AB InBev facilities across China.

In 2010, AB InBev announced a set of aggressive three-year global environmental goals as part of its Better World commitment. According to a press release, the new partnership with GE will initially focus on designing and implementing several key solutions. For example, the companies will collaborate regarding: (more…)

New lifecycle assessment (LCA) data from the Dow Chemical Company’s Building Solutions Group shows that thermal insulation plays a key role in the building sector to reduce energy consumption and related green house gas (GHG) emissions.

This new LCA study examined each stage of Dow’s insulated sheathing product’s life cycle (raw material extraction, production, delivery, use and disposal) to determine the total amount of CO2 emissions that occur in order to use the insulation. The results showed that, over the life cycle of Dow’s insulation products, the GHG emissions saved are, on average, 48 times greater than the GHGs emitted to produce, use and dispose of the product itself.

In addition, Dow says the results validate that its insulated sheathing products –when properly installed –are estimated to provide energy-saving benefits that last for more than 50 years.

According to an earlier McKinsey & Company study, improving building insulation is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce GHG emissions and lower energy costs. (more…)

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world’s largest express transportation company, is expanding its fleet of fuel efficient vehicles.

This summer, FedEx Express will:

• place 24 new all-electric vehicles into service, adding three new cities and more than doubling its fleet to 43 all-electric vehicles while growing the diversity of suppliers it uses for electric vehicles,

• add more hybrid-electrics,

• pilot composite vehicles made from recycled rubber material, resin, fiberglass and poly core and

• upgrade more than a tenth of its conventional vehicle fleet to more energy-efficient vehicles.

The 24 new all-electric vehicles will be analyzed to further our understanding of all-electric technology and its demands on the energy grid. For example: (more…)