Short Stack Eatery, Compass Properties and the Sugar River United Methodist Church Among 11 Area Organizations Working Towards Sustainability with Sustain Dane
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Sustain Dane, a nonprofit organization that advances sustainability and sustainability innovation within the Greater Madison Region, announces its selection of the 2015 MPower Business Champions. These 11 area businesses and organizations have been selected to participate in an intensive yearlong carbon-reduction program, in an effort to reduce environmental impact, save costs, and create a healthier and more engaged work environment for employees. They are:
- City of Monona
- Compass Properties, LLC
- Isthmus Publishing Co., Inc.
- Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District
- Research Products Corporation
- Reynolds Transfer & Storage
- Shopbop
- Short Stack Eatery
- Sugar River United Methodist Church
- Tutto Pasta State Street
- Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation (WECC)
Now in its seventh year, the MPower Business Champions program is a nationally recognized model for public-private collaboration around carbon reduction and sustainability. The program enables businesses to design, implement, and measure a tailored sustainability strategy, connecting them to expert resources, proven methods and best practices, and support in their effort.
Since the program began in 2009, over 75 businesses and organizations have succeeded as MPower Business Champions, implementing meaningful change in areas of waste reduction, energy efficiency, transportation and supply chain efficiency, employee wellness and engagement, community outreach, and more.
As a result, MPower Business Champions from 2009 – 2014 have collectively reduced CO2 emissions by over 26,540 tons and have saved $1,689,000 in annual costs. In addition to calculating the tons of carbon and kilowatt-hours of electricity saved, other results and benefits of the include behavior change, community connections, workplace engagement, and more.
Recent graduate Aldo Leopold Nature Center reflected “the MPower Champions program provides a solid but flexible framework and access to wonderful resources and experts that helped us take our sustainability goals from ideas into actions. We loved being part of this program and its supportive network, and we’re so happy we’ve been able to examine and improve policies and practices at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center to be even more in line with our mission and Leopold’s land ethic.” In improving their Office Computer Energy Policies, the Center was able to save approximately 30,000 kwh, 20.7 tons CO2 and $4,000 in energy bills annually.
Along with implementing projects and tracking impact, the 2015 MPower cohort will be attending monthly Sustainability Sessions which are open to the public. Participants will walk away with practical ideas for action. The schedule of Sustainability Sessions is located on Sustain Dane’s website under Sustain Dane Events & Workshops. Topics covered at the sessions range from Alternative Transportation to Energy Efficiency for Facilities. The June Sustainability Session will be on Waste Reduction and takes place on Tuesday, June 16th from 8:30 – 10:30 AM at the Goodman Community Center. Registration is free for 2015 MPower Participants and SBN Members and $10.00 for the public. RSVP here.
The MPower Champions program is made possible through funding and support by Madison Gas & Electric, the City of Madison and CUNA Mutual Foundation.
About Sustain Dane
Sustain Dane believes that the Greater Madison Region can become national model for sustainability and sustainability innovation. Sustain Dane works towards this vision by fostering and supporting a rich and diverse community of sustainability champions across many sectors of society. To learn more about our current programs and initiatives, please visit www.sustaindane.org. Sustain Dane is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
www.sustaindane.org
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