2Sustain

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…)

According to a survey released last week by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), cloud computing can both save American businesses billions of dollars in energy costs by 2020 and help their information technology (IT) operations run more efficiently.

The study, Cloud Computing–The IT Solution for the 21st Century, polled 11 global firms that have used cloud computing services for at least the past two years. This new research, conducted by Verdantix and sponsored by AT&T, includes analyses that demonstrate how business can use cloud solutions to decrease carbon emissions while simultaneously improving the bottom line.

For example, the data shows that: (more…)

The US Postal Service is on track to meet two long-term sustainability goals.

For years now, USPS has been committed to:

• reducing energy use in its facilities 30 percent by 2015

• reducing greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by fiscal year 2020.

New last week, the agency reported significant progress on both fronts.

USPS says it has achieved:

• an 8 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its fiscal year (FY) 2008 baseline –that’s a reduction of 1,067,834 metric tons of CO2 and an amount equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 204,000 passenger vehicles

• a 12 percent reduction in facility energy-related emissions from its fiscal year (FY) 2008 baseline –enough to power approximately 39,000 average American households for a year.

What’s contributing to these positive results? According to USPS, the reductions are coming from a variety of sources, including: (more…)