Expert Columns

March 18, 2020 - By Better Buildings

Hannaford Supermarkets' Brandon, Vermont Showcase Project

Hannaford Supermarkets, operators of more than 180 stores throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, participated in Efficiency Vermont's Deep Retrofit pilot program with the goal of cutting their energy consumption in half. This column from Better Buildings shows how it was done.

March 6, 2020 - By Scott Wood, EDF Climate Corps

To chart a more sustainable future, look to your employees

If a company is serious about hitting its climate goals and achieving business success, they need to look to their people. In this column from Scott Wood, director of EDF Climate Corps, explains that sustainability may be core to a company’s strategy, but it also needs to be core to their culture in order to attract and retain passionate talent.

Solar - March 4, 2020 - By Better Buildings, U.S. Department of Energy

Installing Rooftop Solar on a 1960s Multifamily High-Rise Building

The challenge facing the Tower Company was to determine how to install cost-effective rooftop solar on a 1960s high-rise apartment building with an existing structure and near full occupancy. Read this column from Better Buildings to explore the solution and outcome (including a one-year after-tax payback).

Energy Efficiency - February 19, 2020 - By Shashank Sane, Invenergy Edge

Electric vehicles and going beyond the charger

Widespread adoption of medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles (EV) is beginning to take root. However, Shashank Sane, SVP at Invenergy warns in this expert column, if a business really wants to meet its sustainability goals with an EV fleet while meeting its business obligations, managers need to think beyond just adding chargers and put into place a truly resilient charging infrastructure.

Sourcing Renewables - February 12, 2020 - By Patrick Flynn, Salesforce

Why Corporate Sustainability Must Change

Developing a corporate sustainability strategy has never been more important. In this column, Patrick Flynn, Senior Director of Sustainability for Salesforce discusses how new technologies, partnerships, and robust environmental data give companies a chance to do well and do good, while making the biggest positive impact .

GHG Emissions - February 10, 2020 - By Meg Coyle, Amazon

Go behind the scenes as Amazon develops a new electric vehicle

Amazon ordered 100,000 electric delivery vehicles—the largest-ever order of electric delivery vehicles—as part of the company's commitment to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early. In this column and video from Amazon, see how the order will be fulfilled.

Sourcing Renewables - February 5, 2020 - By Adobe

Adobe Steps Up for Climate Action

In today’s landscape, it’s critical for businesses to step up as global corporate citizens, and that means reducing environmental impact and mitigating climate change. In this column, Adobe, a long-standing supporter of the transition to a low-carbon economy - and a 2020 Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Award winner - reviews their progress and next steps.

January 20, 2020 - By Brad Smith, Microsoft

Microsoft will be carbon negative by 2030

By 2030 Microsoft will be carbon negative, and by 2050 they will remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975. In this column, Microsoft President Brad Smith lays out the details of the company's ambitious plan.

GHG Emissions - January 13, 2020

Saint-Gobain: Advanced energy monitoring with wireless submetering

Saint-Gobain North America’s current goal in energy monitoring is to gain more granular data on energy usage within its manufacturing sites to accelerate the achievement of its sustainability goals. This column from Better Buildings details the success found by using some less obvious opportunities.

January 8, 2020 - By Scott Tew, Ingersoll Rand

The Importance of Setting Bold Sustainability Targets

For Ingersoll Rand, the commitment to combat climate change has meant putting sustainability at the center of its business strategy; This column from Scott Tew, executive director of the company's center for energy efficiency & sustainability, outlines best practices learned along the way.