Renewable Energy

In January, I spent a day in Richmond meeting with lawmakers to share why clean energy matters to Mars Inc., and to emphasize our support for access to renewable energy and efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Together with other Virginia-based companies, we outlined the value of clean energy and emission-reduction policies for companies like Mars that are looking to grow their business and invest in sustainable solutions that provide mutual benefits for customers and communities.

New Hampshire faces both challenges and opportunities in the transition to a reliable and affordable clean energy future. From infrastructure investments to workforce development, rising energy costs, and more, there is much to consider as the Granite State looks to increase our competitiveness and expand our energy options.

A recent report from NRG Energy found that tackling energy sustainability is a significant challenge, though cities of all sizes can do it by first assessing their unique resources and strengths. Energy is far from the only factor cities consider when addressing sustainability, though. Cities' waste streams, and whether or not to ban controversial items like foam and single-use plastic bags, are another.

The U.S. is one of the biggest nations facing climate disparity right now, since the Trump administration chose to pull the country out of the global Paris Agreement last summer. As the federal government's support for climate issues lags, however, U.S. cities have vowed to uphold the charter's principles — and commitment to climate hasn't stopped there.

General Motors and Switch are the first participants in a new Consumers Energy program to help large businesses use large renewable energy sources. Both companies are now matching 100 percent of their electric use at key operations in Michigan with wind-generated power.

At Walmart, investments in sustainability and efficiency in our own operations – and those made by our suppliers – have enabled us to save money, while striving to support jobs and help reduce impact on the environment.

Kohler Co. today announced a 15-year agreement to purchase 100 megawatts of wind power per year from the Diamond Vista wind farm located near Salina, Kansas. Enel Green Power North America will construct the project this year and will be the long-term owner and operator of the nearly 300 MW wind project. Enel acquired Diamond Vista from Kansas-based renewable energy developer Tradewind Energy.

For decades, the definition of “infrastructure” has remained unchanged and was used to define roads, bridges, electricity and water delivery systems, among other examples. But as cities continue to build upon smart city efforts, the concept and very definition of infrastructure is changing.

As the demand for computing power grows exponentially, there has been a push from both outside of, and within the IT sector to reduce the carbon emissions and energy consumption associated with the world’s rapidly expanding IT infrastructure, which consists largely of data center facilities. The reality is that efficiency improvements won’t be enough to meet the exploding demand for data, and the compute power necessary to provide it.

SC Johnson today announced it has received a Climate Leadership Award for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (GHG) Goal Setting. The company has set an aggressive goal of further reducing GHG emissions 15 percent by 2020 from the base set in 2015. This could result in a reduction of more than 15,000 metric tons of emissions over five years.