When conserving energy, it’s the little things that add up
May 27, 2009 by Tom GuayPosted in: Cost Cutting, News, Special Report, Waste & Pollution
It’s the little things you do to control everyday energy expenses, not fancy complicated new technology, that are racking up some big-time, green benefits.
And, critically, the lessons learned in the past couple of years by McDonald’s can be adopted and customized for most any type of operation. That’s the encouraging news outlined in McDonald’s 2009 Global Best of Green report.
Some of the projects adopted by individual restaurants around the world include:
- cutting electricity use by 11% by developing software to help managers decide when to fire up operations
- improving energy efficiency by 22% by switching to green lighting and equipment
- cutting water use by 40% by installing high efficiency plumbing fixtures
- eliminating CFC refrigerants, which reduced energy use by 12% and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 tons
- reducing solid waste disposal costs by improving recycling programs, and
- motivating employees to search for energy savings opportunities.
Most companies don’t have the ability to hire extra staff and consultants to develop green projects that make economic sense now.
But McDonald’s has made the investment, and the company is sharing its results on more than 80 green projects that all ended up saving the company money. Why not learn from example instead of reinventing the wheel?
To read the Global Best of Green report, click here. The green report is part of McDonald’s Corporate Social Responsibility program.
Tags: carbon dioxide, energy efficiency, energy savings, green savings, greenhouse gases, recycling
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May 28th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
as we work toward stewardship & sustainability it is important to teach people to think beyond the moment day to day. To assess their (our) day and think of how we can save energy or a product from entering a land-fill for example. it has to be not just a lifestyle but a live program that reflects our individual effort with the team goals in mind. it may be done at home, school and in our free-time but we must think of what we will do before the day is complete, not the overall goal that seems to far to reach. just day to day, these goals begin a lifestyle change and this is key from being an individual to a teamplayer in the stewardship of our communities.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I seriously attempted for many months to start recycling at the golf & country club where I work in Central Florida. I found out from the city that the club doesn’t pay the appropriate taxes for any type of recycling pick-up. So I then offered to take the recycling home for my own neighborhood’s weekly pick-up, but no one was interested. Too much effort to rinse out food containers or put recyclabe paper in a separate box. I was greatly disappointed.
January 4th, 2010 at 9:33 am
[...] despite cutting energy usage (and related GHG emissions), increasing recycling and otherwise making bonafide…, the company is dismissed as a greenwasher, because it is a fast-food producer, and that just [...]
January 20th, 2010 at 6:07 am
[...] worldwide has found a wide variety of ways to reduce its corporate footprint with economically sound ideas that reduce energy use and cut electric [...]