(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a significant move that once again demonstrates its environmental leadership, UPS (NYSE:UPS) has adopted a plan to cut the carbon emissions of its airline by an additional 20 percent by 2020, for a cumulative reduction of 42 percent since 1990.
The goal is laid out in the latest edition of UPS’s Sustainability Report, released today at the website http://www.responsibility.ups.com/sustainability. The report shows the UPS Airlines already is a leader in fuel efficiency in the package delivery sector with an efficiency factor of 1.42 CO2 pounds per Available Ton Mile.
The report further discloses UPS’s total global carbon inventory including Scope 1 (direct) emissions as well as Scope 2 and 3 (indirect) emissions, a level of reporting unusual for its industry.
“We believe this is important not just for UPS but also for our customers and society,” UPS Chairman and CEO Scott Davis writes in the Sustainability Report. “The fact is that customers rely on the transportation and logistics industry as part of their supply chains. They need accurate information from the industry in order to calculate their own CO2 inventories and report them to the public. For that reason, we advocate full disclosure (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) for the entire transportation and logistics industry.”
The aircraft goal is the first of a series of carbon reduction goals that the company plans to set in the coming years, according to Bob Stoffel, UPS senior vice president and the executive responsible for UPS’s sustainability program.
“We set our first goal for aircraft emissions because our jet planes are the source of 53% of UPS’s carbon output,” Stoffel added.
UPS intends to achieve its 2020 airline goals by investing in more fuel-efficient aircraft types and engines; fuel-saving operational initiatives, and the introduction of biofuels.
The report extensively outlines UPS’s approach to reducing its environmental impact and explains how the company intends to make improvements going forward. The report also discusses in detail how the company uses an integrated and flexible transportation network to reduce its carbon intensity and save fuel.
“This is the most comprehensive, data-rich and global report we have ever produced since UPS released the industry’s first report in 2002,” Stoffel said. “It is a showcase of our renewed commitment to transparency and sustainable business practices.”
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Showing posts with label sustainability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sustainability. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Georgia Tech Plays Key Role in Global Energy
Energy and sustainability experts at the Georgia Institute of Technology have taken a leadership role in the U.S. contribution to a 36-nation effort aimed at developing an international standard that would bring consistency to energy management systems worldwide.
The effort has implications for the public and private sectors alike, providing a process for managing energy use and implementing sustainable practices that would help hold down costs and minimize environmental impacts. This first-ever international energy management system standard – to be known as ISO 50001 – would also level the playing field for companies competing in the global marketplace.
With broad applicability across economic sectors, the standard could ultimately affect as much as 60 percent of the energy used in the world.
“Effective implementation of an energy management system standard often yields resource and cost savings, as well as risk avoidance,” explained Bill Meffert, manager of energy and sustainability services at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. “Reduction in the use of non-renewable fuels provides environmental benefits to the nation, improves security and leads to use of more sustainable sources of energy. Process and behavioral changes from targeted energy management projects frequently result in reduced raw materials usage, less waste generation and disposal, and lower air emissions.”
Beyond the direct benefits, adoption of ISO 50001 could also lead to long-term cultural changes that benefit organizations in other ways. “An energy management system standard establishes a culture of continual improvement to sustain the gains made, placing the organization in a position to realize even greater energy efficiencies and further savings,” Meffert added.
The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting the effort through a combination of active participation in the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and through financial support for the administration of the U.S. TAG. The U.S. TAG is responsible for developing the U.S. consensus position on the proposed standard.
Rising energy prices have made managing energy a higher priority for industrial, commercial and governmental organizations worldwide. Beyond helping manage costs and controlling environmental impacts, large energy users may be driven to adopt the voluntary standards as evidence of their good corporate citizenship.
“Many countries around the world will use the standard as the basis for national programs that encourage large energy users to demonstrate their environmental stewardship,” Meffert said. “It is expected that national incentives – taxes, credits and similar vehicles – will be used to promote its use and adoption.”
Companies that adopt the new standard may also gain a public relations and marketing advantage.
“Companies that conform to an international energy management system standard will be publicly stating that they have adopted best practices for managing their energy supply and use, which helps make them competitive,” Meffert added. “They are also showing that they are managing their natural resources wisely. Many companies will also want to ensure that their suppliers and partners are environmentally responsible.”
In general, Meffert noted, standards are useful to helping organizations establish the order and consistency to manage key business components, whether they address quality, environmental protection or energy issues.
“By applying this standard, the organization uses the ‘Plan-Do-Check-Act’ steps of the continual improvement framework to manage energy resources, incorporating energy management into everyday business operations and strategies,” he said. “This framework encompasses both the management and the technical elements of energy management. The effective management of energy requires both to be present and integrated.”
While industry has driven development of the new standard, it could be used by any energy-consuming organization. The standard will define a management system for all energy sources – including electricity, liquid and solid fuels, renewable sources, steam, compressed air and chilled water.
The new ISO 50001 is being developed through a consensus process of the International Standards Organization (ISO) that involves representatives from national standards organizations in more than 36 countries who develop proposals, discuss issues, build consensus – and adopt the final standard.
The United States and Brazil are leading the overall effort under ISO’s framework. In addition to member nation representatives, two liaison members – the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the World Energy Council – are also contributing to the effort.
The ISO/PC 242 committee established to develop the standard held its first meeting in Washington in early September, and will hold additional meetings on a regular basis. The goal is to have ISO 50001 ready for publication by the end of 2010, said Deann Desai, project manager with the Enterprise Innovation Institute who serves as secretary to the U.S. TAG.
“Excellent progress was made during the first meeting, and a working draft has already been developed,” she noted. “Among the issues discussed was the need to ensure compatibility between the new ISO 50001 and existing ISO management standards.”
Georgia Tech was heavily involved in developing the existing American National Standards Institute (ANSI) MSE 2000:2008 standard for energy management systems. That standard has seen limited adoption in the United States, but Meffert said globalization of commerce now requires an international standard that will be widely adopted.
“Many businesses today are multinationals that have facilities and/or trading partners overseas,” he explained. “When conducting business on a multinational basis, it is important that the competitive playing field be as even as possible – which is what standardization attempts to accomplish.”
Georgia Tech worked closely with the Department of Energy in activities leading up to the formal launch of the ISO 50001 development effort. Members of Georgia Tech’s energy and sustainability staff helped develop a comparison document that was used to facilitate initial international meetings, and they participated with ANSI in the process of producing an application to ISO explaining the need for the new standard.
Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute is administering the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for ANSI. The group is composed of many energy management experts and helps shape the U.S. position for the international standard.
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The effort has implications for the public and private sectors alike, providing a process for managing energy use and implementing sustainable practices that would help hold down costs and minimize environmental impacts. This first-ever international energy management system standard – to be known as ISO 50001 – would also level the playing field for companies competing in the global marketplace.
With broad applicability across economic sectors, the standard could ultimately affect as much as 60 percent of the energy used in the world.
“Effective implementation of an energy management system standard often yields resource and cost savings, as well as risk avoidance,” explained Bill Meffert, manager of energy and sustainability services at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute. “Reduction in the use of non-renewable fuels provides environmental benefits to the nation, improves security and leads to use of more sustainable sources of energy. Process and behavioral changes from targeted energy management projects frequently result in reduced raw materials usage, less waste generation and disposal, and lower air emissions.”
Beyond the direct benefits, adoption of ISO 50001 could also lead to long-term cultural changes that benefit organizations in other ways. “An energy management system standard establishes a culture of continual improvement to sustain the gains made, placing the organization in a position to realize even greater energy efficiencies and further savings,” Meffert added.
The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting the effort through a combination of active participation in the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and through financial support for the administration of the U.S. TAG. The U.S. TAG is responsible for developing the U.S. consensus position on the proposed standard.
Rising energy prices have made managing energy a higher priority for industrial, commercial and governmental organizations worldwide. Beyond helping manage costs and controlling environmental impacts, large energy users may be driven to adopt the voluntary standards as evidence of their good corporate citizenship.
“Many countries around the world will use the standard as the basis for national programs that encourage large energy users to demonstrate their environmental stewardship,” Meffert said. “It is expected that national incentives – taxes, credits and similar vehicles – will be used to promote its use and adoption.”
Companies that adopt the new standard may also gain a public relations and marketing advantage.
“Companies that conform to an international energy management system standard will be publicly stating that they have adopted best practices for managing their energy supply and use, which helps make them competitive,” Meffert added. “They are also showing that they are managing their natural resources wisely. Many companies will also want to ensure that their suppliers and partners are environmentally responsible.”
In general, Meffert noted, standards are useful to helping organizations establish the order and consistency to manage key business components, whether they address quality, environmental protection or energy issues.
“By applying this standard, the organization uses the ‘Plan-Do-Check-Act’ steps of the continual improvement framework to manage energy resources, incorporating energy management into everyday business operations and strategies,” he said. “This framework encompasses both the management and the technical elements of energy management. The effective management of energy requires both to be present and integrated.”
While industry has driven development of the new standard, it could be used by any energy-consuming organization. The standard will define a management system for all energy sources – including electricity, liquid and solid fuels, renewable sources, steam, compressed air and chilled water.
The new ISO 50001 is being developed through a consensus process of the International Standards Organization (ISO) that involves representatives from national standards organizations in more than 36 countries who develop proposals, discuss issues, build consensus – and adopt the final standard.
The United States and Brazil are leading the overall effort under ISO’s framework. In addition to member nation representatives, two liaison members – the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the World Energy Council – are also contributing to the effort.
The ISO/PC 242 committee established to develop the standard held its first meeting in Washington in early September, and will hold additional meetings on a regular basis. The goal is to have ISO 50001 ready for publication by the end of 2010, said Deann Desai, project manager with the Enterprise Innovation Institute who serves as secretary to the U.S. TAG.
“Excellent progress was made during the first meeting, and a working draft has already been developed,” she noted. “Among the issues discussed was the need to ensure compatibility between the new ISO 50001 and existing ISO management standards.”
Georgia Tech was heavily involved in developing the existing American National Standards Institute (ANSI) MSE 2000:2008 standard for energy management systems. That standard has seen limited adoption in the United States, but Meffert said globalization of commerce now requires an international standard that will be widely adopted.
“Many businesses today are multinationals that have facilities and/or trading partners overseas,” he explained. “When conducting business on a multinational basis, it is important that the competitive playing field be as even as possible – which is what standardization attempts to accomplish.”
Georgia Tech worked closely with the Department of Energy in activities leading up to the formal launch of the ISO 50001 development effort. Members of Georgia Tech’s energy and sustainability staff helped develop a comparison document that was used to facilitate initial international meetings, and they participated with ANSI in the process of producing an application to ISO explaining the need for the new standard.
Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute is administering the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for ANSI. The group is composed of many energy management experts and helps shape the U.S. position for the international standard.
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Friday, October 17, 2008
Graduate Student Project Makes Vending Machines More Energy-Efficient
When you stop for a few seconds to buy a cold drink from a vending machine, you probably don’t put any thought into how much energy the machine uses.
But a group of Georgia Southern University biology graduate students did – and found a way for the campus to save energy and money.
Eleven students in last fall’s Graduate Seminar in Sustainability researched possible service projects to make the Georgia Southern campus more energy-efficient. After discussing several ideas, they proposed putting energy-saving devices on vending machines.
“It was the best project because it is not just an awareness campaign – it is going to make a concrete difference,” said Dr. Lissa Leege, who taught the sustainability seminar along with Dr. Michelle Zjhra. “The work the students did is now really going to pay off on campus.”
The students’ research found that vending machines are one of the worst culprits of energy inefficiency, using 20 percent more energy on average than a refrigerator. As a solution, the students turned to the EMS-55, a device from the Coca-Cola Company that powers vending machines down to standby mode when they are not being used.
With $1,000 in funding from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and the support of Coca-Cola Bottling Company United in Statesboro, the students were able to purchase 12 of the devices. Three more were donated by Coca-Cola.
“It’s a simple solution, and you can do it for little money,” said graduate student Steve Williams, who led the research. “You see big benefits at a low cost.”
Three test models were put on Coca-Cola machines over the summer, and the rest have been installed this fall. The EMS (Energy Management System)-55 is now in use in 11 buildings: Biology, Forest Drive, Herty, Hollis, Marvin Pittman, Math-Physics, Rosenwald, Deal Hall, Hanner Fieldhouse, the Russell Union and the Williams Center.
The off-campus community will be connected to the initiative as well. The Coke machine at the Boys and Girls Clubs center in Statesboro is also slated to get one of the energy-saving units.
“We felt it was very important to involve our community outside of Georgia Southern in our efforts because community involvement is imperative to make a real difference for a sustainable future,” Williams said.
The energy-saving device uses an infrared motion sensor to power down the machine when no one is using it. So, for example, when the Biology building is vacant at 3 a.m., the vending machine is not constantly running coolant and its brightly-lit façade is turned off.
The EMS-55 also “learns” consumer traffic patterns. If no one uses the machine at a certain time on a certain day, the machine powers down at that same time on the same day the following week.
That all adds up to energy savings of about 33 percent, according to the students’ research. A vending machine without the power controller uses 3,021 kilowatt-hours per year on average, compared to 2,023 per year with one. Multiply that by the 15 machines on campus, and the University reduces its power use by nearly 15,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
“Our first step in sustainability is to increase the efficiency of what we already have,” said Dr. Leege, the director of the Office of Sustainability in the Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology. “We’re not having to change our behavior at all, and this is making a difference in our energy consumption.
The cost savings are just part of the equation, though. The devices also help conserve water and significantly reduce carbon dioxide and other air pollutant emissions.
“The energy efficiency is beneficial economically and environmentally,” Williams said. “While saving the university – and therefore students – money on the electric bill, this one small step also has a number of ripple effects on the environment.”
For example, these devices increase the lifespan of the light bulbs that illuminate the front of the vending machine. That means fewer materials (glass, metals, fluorescent gas, mercury, etc.) are used to manufacture bulbs for Georgia Southern’s machines; Coca-Cola United has to truck fewer bulbs to Savannah to recycle them, which saves gas and reduces harmful emissions; less energy has to be used to recycle those bulbs, which means less coal is mined and burned, which means lower greenhouse gas emissions; and, finally, less waste is generated from the parts of the bulb that cannot be recycled.
“These ripples will be multiplied 30 times since each of the 15 machines is equipped with two fluorescent light bulbs,” Williams said. “Our efforts are like throwing pebbles into the ocean; they make some ripples and waves. If everyone were to take a small step towards sustainability, then it would be like throwing a mountain of pebbles into the ocean.”
That’s not the only ripple effect Dr. Leege is counting on. As with all of Georgia Southern’s sustainability initiatives, she wants to see this project expand. The EMS-55 is reasonably-priced (about $80 per unit), so she hopes the Georgia Southern community will get on board and provide additional units for vending machines on-campus.
The project could not have been possible without the participation of Coca-Cola. Chad Henry, the cold drink manager for Coca-Cola United in Statesboro, said this fit perfectly with Coke’s commitment to be environmentally friendly through steps such as recycling out-of-date products, providing recycling bins and marketing their products with energy-efficient promotional items.
“The Coca-Cola Company is investing in ‘going green,’ and we are glad to have people like Lissa and Steve help us on the Georgia Southern campus,” Henry said. “They came up with the idea and got the wheels turning.”
-----
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But a group of Georgia Southern University biology graduate students did – and found a way for the campus to save energy and money.
Eleven students in last fall’s Graduate Seminar in Sustainability researched possible service projects to make the Georgia Southern campus more energy-efficient. After discussing several ideas, they proposed putting energy-saving devices on vending machines.
“It was the best project because it is not just an awareness campaign – it is going to make a concrete difference,” said Dr. Lissa Leege, who taught the sustainability seminar along with Dr. Michelle Zjhra. “The work the students did is now really going to pay off on campus.”
The students’ research found that vending machines are one of the worst culprits of energy inefficiency, using 20 percent more energy on average than a refrigerator. As a solution, the students turned to the EMS-55, a device from the Coca-Cola Company that powers vending machines down to standby mode when they are not being used.
With $1,000 in funding from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and the support of Coca-Cola Bottling Company United in Statesboro, the students were able to purchase 12 of the devices. Three more were donated by Coca-Cola.
“It’s a simple solution, and you can do it for little money,” said graduate student Steve Williams, who led the research. “You see big benefits at a low cost.”
Three test models were put on Coca-Cola machines over the summer, and the rest have been installed this fall. The EMS (Energy Management System)-55 is now in use in 11 buildings: Biology, Forest Drive, Herty, Hollis, Marvin Pittman, Math-Physics, Rosenwald, Deal Hall, Hanner Fieldhouse, the Russell Union and the Williams Center.
The off-campus community will be connected to the initiative as well. The Coke machine at the Boys and Girls Clubs center in Statesboro is also slated to get one of the energy-saving units.
“We felt it was very important to involve our community outside of Georgia Southern in our efforts because community involvement is imperative to make a real difference for a sustainable future,” Williams said.
The energy-saving device uses an infrared motion sensor to power down the machine when no one is using it. So, for example, when the Biology building is vacant at 3 a.m., the vending machine is not constantly running coolant and its brightly-lit façade is turned off.
The EMS-55 also “learns” consumer traffic patterns. If no one uses the machine at a certain time on a certain day, the machine powers down at that same time on the same day the following week.
That all adds up to energy savings of about 33 percent, according to the students’ research. A vending machine without the power controller uses 3,021 kilowatt-hours per year on average, compared to 2,023 per year with one. Multiply that by the 15 machines on campus, and the University reduces its power use by nearly 15,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
“Our first step in sustainability is to increase the efficiency of what we already have,” said Dr. Leege, the director of the Office of Sustainability in the Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology. “We’re not having to change our behavior at all, and this is making a difference in our energy consumption.
The cost savings are just part of the equation, though. The devices also help conserve water and significantly reduce carbon dioxide and other air pollutant emissions.
“The energy efficiency is beneficial economically and environmentally,” Williams said. “While saving the university – and therefore students – money on the electric bill, this one small step also has a number of ripple effects on the environment.”
For example, these devices increase the lifespan of the light bulbs that illuminate the front of the vending machine. That means fewer materials (glass, metals, fluorescent gas, mercury, etc.) are used to manufacture bulbs for Georgia Southern’s machines; Coca-Cola United has to truck fewer bulbs to Savannah to recycle them, which saves gas and reduces harmful emissions; less energy has to be used to recycle those bulbs, which means less coal is mined and burned, which means lower greenhouse gas emissions; and, finally, less waste is generated from the parts of the bulb that cannot be recycled.
“These ripples will be multiplied 30 times since each of the 15 machines is equipped with two fluorescent light bulbs,” Williams said. “Our efforts are like throwing pebbles into the ocean; they make some ripples and waves. If everyone were to take a small step towards sustainability, then it would be like throwing a mountain of pebbles into the ocean.”
That’s not the only ripple effect Dr. Leege is counting on. As with all of Georgia Southern’s sustainability initiatives, she wants to see this project expand. The EMS-55 is reasonably-priced (about $80 per unit), so she hopes the Georgia Southern community will get on board and provide additional units for vending machines on-campus.
The project could not have been possible without the participation of Coca-Cola. Chad Henry, the cold drink manager for Coca-Cola United in Statesboro, said this fit perfectly with Coke’s commitment to be environmentally friendly through steps such as recycling out-of-date products, providing recycling bins and marketing their products with energy-efficient promotional items.
“The Coca-Cola Company is investing in ‘going green,’ and we are glad to have people like Lissa and Steve help us on the Georgia Southern campus,” Henry said. “They came up with the idea and got the wheels turning.”
-----
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