2Sustain

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…)

Last week, For Motor Company released its 2010 Sustainability Report, titled Blueprint for Sustainability. In it, Ford demonstrates the company’s reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the improved fuel economy of its cars and specific goals for improved operational sustainability and decreased water consumption.

Ford’s twelfth annual sustainability report highlights the following achievements and commitments: (more…)

Earlier this month, Consolidated (Con) Edison issued its 2010 Sustainability Report, detailing its long-term business strategy, an approach that relies on energy efficiency, renewable energy and recycling.

Con Edison is a New York-based utility that employs 15,000 employees, has $13 billion in revenues and holds $36 billion in assets. The company provides nine million people with electricity while balancing sustainability principles based on six fundamental points:

• Insist on green behavior from employees.
• Encourage green behavior to external stakeholders.
• Meet customers’ demands for a greener lifestyle through innovation.
• Partner with governments to create policies that match Con Edison’s sustainability vision.
• Develop an infrastructure for renewable energy.
• Include environmental and social values within its decision making process.

What are the results so far?

(more…)

Last month, Verizon, the largest cell phone carrier in the US, released its 2010-2011 corporate sustainability report.  In it, Verizon tackles many issues, including domestic violence, health care, education and the environment—and the results this year are impressive, particularly in the area of energy use reductions.

In the past, Verizon has participated in the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Partners program, which has helped the company identify more energy efficiency opportunities at its stores, corporate headquarters and within its supply chain. In addition, Verizon has made progress on several other sustainability initiatives to further reduce its energy consumption and mitigate the company’s impact on the environment. For instance: (more…)

GE Appliances & Lighting is now the first full-line appliance manufacturer in the US to adopt the foam-blowing agent cyclopentane in the manufacturing of its top-freezer refrigerators in Decatur, Ala.

This is a noteworthy development because cyclopentane – which GE uses to propel insulation into the doors and cases of refrigerators – significantly reduces the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the insulating process.  In fact, GE says that using cyclopentane will reduce the facility’s GHG emissions from the foam-blowing process by 99 percent compared to the foam-blowing agent it replaces.

By transitioning to cyclopentane as the foam-insulating agent for GE’s 16-, 17- and 18-cubic-foot top-freezer refrigerators, GE’s Decatur, Ala., plant will reduce GHG emissions from the foam-insulating process by more than 400,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent annually. This is equal to: (more…)