Whirlpool Taps Wind as Propeller Of Sustainability and Community Investment

Transitioning to clean energy is one of the most efficient ways for companies to mitigate their environmental impact, as it prevents GHG emissions as well as providing a long-term solution for energy needs.

For that reason, appliance manufacturer Whirlpool Corporation is pushing ahead with wind energy expansion as part of its efforts to decrease its carbon footprint in a bid to make its business increasingly sustainable as well as more socially responsible.

According to recent company data, wind energy projects include a newly-completed wind farm in Findlay, Ohio, and two other ones under construction in Ottawa and Marion, both in Ohio as well.

Thanks to those investments in wind, during the first semester of 2016 the Findlay farm generated around 10 percent of the company’s plant operational needs. The three plants combined are expected to generate as much power as to supply the equivalent of 2,400 average American homes per year.

This amount of energy has put Whirlpool on track to become one of the largest Fortune 500 U.S. companies in terms of on-site wind energy use.

Wind energy is also translating into human investment. Whirlpool will award one $5,000 Megawatt STEM Scholarship per wind turbine to a graduating senior from high schools in the regions where the wind farms are located, or $100,000 in community education scholarships in Ottawa, $200,000 in Findlay and $300,000 in Marion in the next 20 years.

To find out more about Whirlpool CSR and sustainability, click here to read its 2016 report, which was compiled using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) model, an international independent standard that helps business communicate their impact in those areas.