Smarter Business: Greening Advisor

Energy Overview

Energy use is one of the largest contributors to the environmental impacts of any facility. Commercial and residential buildings emit 40 percent of all greenhouse gases, as they consume energy for heating, cooling, ventilation, electronics, lighting and other appliances. Most energy consumed in the United States comes from coal, which contributes significantly to man-made global warming and also to soot, smog and numerous negative health impacts. In addition, coal mining—especially surface mining and mountaintop removal—is devastating many of the world’s most ecologically important landscapes. Visit My Connection to find out how your electricity generation is linked to mountaintop removal.

Reducing energy consumption will reduce your company’s environmental impacts and energy costs. Make your office more energy efficient, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and try to buy energy from renewable energy sources to help reduce your company’s contribution to greenhouse emissions and other forms of pollution.