Step by step, changes add up to green savings
October 21, 2009 by Tom GuayPosted in: solar power, Special Report, Technology, Wind Power
Having a hard time trying figure how to get a start on turning your company green? Start with little things, pocket some savings and then build on that success.
It’s a strategy helping the Chipotle Mexican Grill chain polish its eco-friendly image.
The company started its push to be a sustainable operation by using environmentally friendly materials to build its small retail outlets. The restaurant chain routinely uses:
- paints and sealants with low-solvent content (less air pollution)
- recycled drywall and stainless steel (keeping things out of landfills)
- photocell light controls that balance electric and natural light (more comfortable for workers, customers), and
- highly insulated windows that cut heating and cooling costs (saving money).
That success paved the way for the chain’s just announced plan to use solar power at 75 restaurants and get them off the electricity grid during daylight hours.
The solar panels will turn Chipotle into a power generator. It’ll produce 500 kilowatt hours of electricity from solar power. Once the panels are in place at the 75 eateries, Chipotle will be the largest direct producer of solar power in the restaurant industry.
The solar panels will be supplied by Houston-based Standard Renewable Energy at restaurants in cities with reliable sunlight, such as Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Denver.
In addition to cutting costs, the solar power will generate credits for reducing 41 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
Chipotle has also invested in wind power. A restaurant in Gurnee, IL, features its own wind turbine. It also captures stormwater to reuse for irrigation purposes.
The restaurant chain’s founder and CEO, Steve Ells, makes the green thing happen for his chain and the eco-friendly, business savvy changes include many innovations in addition to clean, renewable power generation. His commitment to sustainability has the company leading its industry in use of:
- meat from animals raised in a sustainable manner without use of antibiotics or added hormones
- vegetarian diets for animals
- organic and locally grown produce, and
- milk, cheese and sour cream from cows that are free of the synthetic hormone rBGH.
Tags: Chipotle, renewable power, solar power, sustainable
GreenandMore.com
Loading ...
October 22nd, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Nice job Steve! This is exactly what I have been talking about in every one of my blogs. If it is cost effective (saves companies money) then you will do it.. We do not need BIG GOVERNMENT REGULATION (Taxes in disguise) to become green. Many green projects make business sense.
And then it makes sense to change. But change takes a little time. Let the markets work.
However, many times when the government gets involved we end up going down the wrong tract because of subsidies (ie.. using a basic food stuff for people and live stock, corn to make fuel). This pushed corn prices way up increasing food prices. Many countries (including Brazil “the rain forest”)clear cut millions of acres of forest to plant corn because it was now cost effective to do so. So we not only increased the price of food to the world (even to the people who couldn’t afford it before), and did what environmentalists would call the greatest sin, deforestation of the rainforest. We could have used natural gas to accomplish a better end.
The government(s) of the world should stick with keeping the world safe from terrorists and leave business to do what it does best, make $$$$$$$$$$$$ and hire new employees.
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:11 am
Joe,
Leaving business to do what it does best sounds great in theory, but the reality is that many (maybe most) businesses are driven by the need (or greed) to make a profit, as you indicated yourself. And if they can make more $$$$$ using polystyrene (AKA styrofoam) containers, sucking electricity from traditional sources, building with products like toxic Chinese drywall, and buying their supplies from countries that couldn’t care less about protecting the environment, then that’s what they’ll do.
Without government regulations that have been passed over the past several decades I can’t imagine how polluted our environment would be. But railing against BIG GOVERNMENT is definitely popular…
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I never said to eliminate all of the existing environment laws and let pollution run wild. If we did we would have a situtation much like they have in China now. 90% of their fresh water is too polluted to drink, and many areas are too polluted to live in. But programs like Cap & Trade will not stop the pollution occuring in India, China and other developing countries. It will however push many more companies out of the manufacturing business in the US, and will increase purchases from those polluting countries. Here is an example.
If Cap and Trade passes as the bill reads today, my companys electric costs will increase by $18,000 per month. My sales per month are only $250,000 to $300,000 so that increase in my electric may put us out of business. This is what I was talking about, many times government regulation will push companies out of business while not achieving the intended result. Here is an example, and for those who don’t know a quick recap.
My business is extremly green. Check us out on the web: http://www.eco-tech.ws. We recycle (garbage) post consumer plastic (250,000,000+ pounds) and produce a (plastic lumber) lumber substute. That product has save the deforestation of over 1,000,000 acres of forest. We also employee as many as 50 people and pay them a good wage. Most of our employees are covered (some opt out) my company funded Health/Life insurance. They also have vacation pay, holiday pay profit sharing, and most have been with us 5+ years many 15+.
Oh I forgot to mention this before, but we also do not produce air or water pollution. So this wonderful “green innitative” may put us out of business, since that is about all our profit monthly.
The biggest kicker of this is that in 2000 we tried to install two wind turbines to generate most if not all of our electric needs. This would have kept us from seeing any increase, but the local and state government would not let us. We are in a rural area 60 miles SW of Milwaukee so it wasn’t because of air traffic or neighbors concerns. It was just the government doing what is does best, tying the hands of its citizens.
This is my BIG GOVERNMENT concern. I don’t care if it is popular today or not. The more power any entity has (BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT ECT..) the more removed they are from reality. Cap & Trade will push many business beyond the point of profitability, and even more manufacturing will end up in other countries. If the market, (ie.. green innovations that save $$) is allowed to work, the good innovations will take hold. The companies that can’t or won’t innovate will die (ie…GM).
If you feel you should still take those companies to task that pollute, do it with your wallet, boycott.
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Joe,
I don’t know you or your company, but it sounds like you are doing good things. My main heartburn from reading your first comment was with the notion that we should get government out of the equation and let the American business community do what it does best… Their best hasn’t always been what’s best for the environment or for the U.S. economy.
There has to be a balance with the government giving companies incentives to do good things and some sort of stick/penalty when they do bad things. And as I’m sure you already know, a lot of environmentally-friendly activities that may reduce costs in the long-run are expensive up front, and with corporate America largely focused on this year’s bottom line, they don’t take actions that may not pay dividends for 5-10 years because they may be working elsewhere by then.
Again, no offense meant to you or your company, I’m just not a follower of the anti-government/pro-corporate movement, so your BIG GOVERNMENT comments touched a nerve.
October 23rd, 2009 at 8:16 pm
dritchie: I agree that a balance in needed and you are right! You forgot to mention that in the early 1900 businesses ran all over their employees. But in most cases a opposing force (in this case) unions will rise up to SMACK DOWN the injustice or bad behavior.
But as with all things, power in many industries has left the hands of the people (stock holders) and has been concentrated into the hands of a few people whose interest is not the benefit of the company or the country. As you said that quartly mentallity.
The same holds true for Government. If Cap and Trade and Health Care reform pass in their existing forms the US Federal Government will control 49% of the US GDP. That doesn’t even include state and local parts of the pie. Even in Europe those governments control is less in all but one country, Italy.
Big Business/ Big government go hand in hand. Power corrupts.
My praise to Steve in the beginning of this blog was to cheer on another CEO that is doing the right thing. I guess my whole point was there is some people who do the right thing without proding, and that is what the world needs. Honor, justice, liberty, and the moral anchor to hold the course.
Politics aside, we as Americans must keep the power, weither in the voting booth, or in the marketplace. Hold everyone in power accountable for thier actions!