In addition to transportation, businesses rely on power to operate. In my personal career, working at a Credit Union, I began to think of the number of branches that we operate as well as the electricity that it takes to run each location. Things that didn't seem to be a big deal before like turning off lights and computer monitors, seem to be a bit more in perspective now after reading this information.
There are so many options available to businesses in the form of renewable energy, unfortunately this may not always be the best alternative for them. One option that I found online, SolarCity gives businesses access to information to see how there energy is being used in order to help increase efficiencies and lower costs.
If the business world does not do more to decrease greenhouse gases due to energy consumption, it will greatly impact the environment. The EPA states that businesses which implement a greenhouse gas management strategy and strive to be more energy efficient will actually have a competitive advantage against companies who do not. In addition, thousands of companies have benefitted from implementing changes to increase efficiencies within their company. Improving energy efficiencies is a win win situation for both businesses and the enviroment due to the increased costs of other forms of energy.
According to the EPA generating electricity is the largest source of emissions in the United States. In 2007, the numbers were 34% from all sources throughout the country. When you think about the big picture and the number of businesses that operate throughout the United States, it is easy to see that the harmful effects will continue if more is not done in the business world to help the environment.
References:
Bloom, Arnold J., (2008) Chapter 8: Mitigation: Electric Power Generation
http://www.solarcity.com/commercial/powerguide-energy-monitoring.aspx http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/businesses.html http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/fq/emissions.html#q4
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