Expert Columns

Buildings contribute to approximately a third of U.S. emissions and 40% of global emissions, so we cannot meet consensus climate targets without transforming the buildings sector. In this column, Lotte Schlegel, Executive Director, IMT, explores critical lessons from the latest UN climate report and describes three ways to best advance building decarbonization while addressing social considerations.

This Earth Day, Smart Energy Decisions is proud to be the first energy focused business-to-business media company to release its own Sustainability Report. In this column, SED's Alexandra Failla explains how we are showcasing progress across three key sustainability dimensions: environmental, social, and governance.

Meeting the challenge of climate change will require nothing short of a reinvention of how we produce and consume energy. This column from Stephen Harper, Intel's Senior Director of Environment and Energy Policy, explains why aggressive actions by private and public sectors are required.

Over the years, IBM’s environmental commitment has been steadfast and dependable across different eras and priorities and regardless of the topic’s relative popularity. In this column (accompanied by a video), Wayne Balta, Vice President for Environmental Affairs and Product Safety, explores the release of IBM Impact – the company’s new framework for reporting on environmental, social, and governance matters — as the company continues to act upon 21 voluntary environmental goals announced in 2021.

At Ford’s Dearborn Research and Engineering Campus Central Energy Plant (CEP), the digital twin helps operators and engineers manage energy and operational risks by monitoring the CEP’s energy systems, including the combined heat and power (CHP) system, heat recovery chillers, electric centrifugal chillers, thermal energy storage, and other equipment. This column from the Department of Energy's Better Buildings explores how the design and construction of the CEP ensure that campus building upgrades followed specific sustainability principles.

In a major step forward for transparency, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed on March 21 that public companies be required to publish their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this column, Cliff Majersik, IMT's Senior Advisor, Policy and Programs, outlines the real estate implications of this proposed rule on climate risk disclosure

When you stand at the entrance of Target's Vista, California, store, it looks like any other Target store. But underneath that iconic Target exterior is a complex system of electrical, plumbing, solar and more that makes it one of a kind — and our most sustainable store yet. This column from Target goes behind the scenes with the team that brought it all to life.

While helping others achieve their sustainability goals has been integral to Smart Energy Decisions’ business since its inception, this column from SED's Alexandra Failla explains why the company is now walking the walk by setting its own sustainability goals and informing its community of intentions, challenges, and progress. 

Like most products, getting the best value from your electricity approach involves more than a low price. In an age of more frequent and severe weather events, grid capacity concerns, and energy price volatility, an all-encompassing strategy from a knowledgeable energy partner is vital. This blog from NRG Energy explains how.