February 28, 2013 Four S.F. Bay Area Companies Receive Top Honors from EPA for Climate Work

Wells Fargo, Cisco Systems, Intel, Sonoma County Water Agency Honored with Leadership Awards

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership, the Association of Climate Change Officers, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and The Climate Registry today presented their second annual Climate Leadership Awards to four San Francisco Bay Area companies—Wells Fargo & Company, Cisco Systems, Inc., Intel Corporation, and Sonoma County Water Agency—for leadership in reducing carbon pollution and addressing climate change.

"The Climate Leadership Award winners are taking extra steps with their outstanding actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that harm the environment and threaten public health," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. "We are proud to recognize these companies and local government agency for serving as models for their peers."

The four Bay Area companies recognized today are among 23 winners announced nationwide. The national awards program honors corporate, organizational, and individual leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in internal operations and throughout the supply chain. The organizations recognized represent a wide array of industries, including construction, finance, defense, transportation, retail, energy and technology.

Organizational Leadership Award

Intel Corporation
Intel exceeded its recent goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 20 percent below 2007 levels by the end of 2012, achieving a 60 percent reduction, and since 2008, it has been the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the U.S. The company’s annual green power usage is 100 percent of Intel's total annual U.S. electricity use, and through these renewable energy purchases Intel has helped to create demand for wind, solar, and other renewable technologies. Further, by building energy efficiency directly into its products, Intel is also able to help its customers reduce energy use and GHG emissions.

The awards will be presented at the Climate Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

More about the Climate Leadership Award winners: www.epa.gov/climateleadership/awards/ 

December 24, 2012 APS promotes Ed Fox, names Ann Becker to sustainability post

Ed Fox, the longtime head of sustainability for Arizona Public Service Co., will now head up the utility’s governmental affairs.  MORE »

May 11, 2012 VermiSoks, Eco Aluminum Pallets win Phoenix Green Chamber’s business search from Phoenix Business Journal by Patrick O'Grady, Reporter

A company looking to use liquefied food waste and earthworms to help farms and urban growers won both the judging and the popular vote in the Green Chamber of Greater Phoenix’s first Great Green Business Search.

Phoenix-based VermiSoks was selected by a panel of judges well-versed in startups and funding, and it received the People’s Choice Award based on attendees’ votes.

Founded by Miguel Jardine, VermaSoks collects waste food from restaurants and other sources and liquefies it. It then injects that composting material into large biodegradable cloth tubes filled with dirt and earthworms. With a little water, the tubes allow various crops to grow in any environment.

The product is aimed at everything from urban gardening to specialty farming.

Second-place winner Eco Aluminum Pallets, based in Phoenix, seeks to replace wooden pallets with forged aluminum versions that can be reused and recycled more times.

The pitch contest gave 15 companies about 10 minutes each to present their opportunities to a judging panel that included angel investors, marketing experts, and venture and private equity fund managers.

VermiSoks won $5,000 for winning first place plus $1,000 for the People’s Choice award.

Eco Aluminum Pallets received $2,000 for second place.

Third place went to reNature Inc., another company dealing with ways to handle food waste. No money was awarded for third place.

Michael Grossman, chairman of the Green Chamber, said the group was pleased with its inaugural event.

“We did the event because we felt it was part of our core mission to find new sustainable businesses,” he said.

March 8, 2012 Henkel Environmental Indicators

In 2011, personal and home care product maker Henkel reduced carbon emissions 30%, water consumption 33%, and waste for recycling and disposal 25% over 2007 levels.  MORE »

February 18, 2011 PulteGroup, RESNET Collaborate on Energy Efficiency Labels for New Homes

AzBAS member PulteGroup, Inc. has launched a pilot program with the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) that will use home energy efficiency labels to help homebuyers compare energy savings and utility costs.  Read the full article on the Sustainable Life Media website.

September 1, 2010 AzBAS Members Achieve Top Ranking in Dow Jones Sustainability Index Again

AzBAS would like to congratulate three of its member companies: APS, Intel and Henkel for successful achieving ranking on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). Established in 1999, the DJSI follows the financial performance of the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide offering investors with a best-in-class approach profiling sustainability leaders from each industry at a global and regional level respectively. The annual review of the DJSI family is based on a thorough analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, branding, climate change mitigation, supply chain standards and labor practices. It accounts for general as well as industry specific sustainability criteria for each of the 57 sectors defined according to the Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB). Only 10 percent of the world's largest corporations make the grade for selection in the DJSI World. We're thrilled to recognize these three members have repeatedly been profiled in the DJSI. Their leadership in this arena lends enormous benefit to the AzBAS membership. For more information on the DJSI and the performance of our members please visit http://www.sustainability-index.com.

December 2, 2009 Despite Recession Corporate America is Investing in Sustainability Practices: Three out of four firms view sustainability as consistent with their profit missions.

Corporate America has in fact integrated standard sustainability practices, including recycling, green building, employee engagement, and partnering with non-profits into their cultures and everyday operations. A recent report, "2009 Greening of Corporate America" reveals that corporations across the U.S. continue to accelerate sustainability efforts and increase efficiencies as standard operating procedure. More...

November 21, 2009 Sustainability and Employee Engagement: Anything Goes

Engaging employees through sustainability is not a one size fits all approach. FromWalmart’s Personal Sustainability Project to Sodexo’s Corporate Citizenship Program to Intel’s intranet to FMYI’s online collaboration, the variety is endless. Each of the four members of the Net Impact Conference 2009. More...

November 13, 2009 Pulte Homes Earns 2009 LEED Award for Homes Outstanding Production Builder.

Pulte Homes has been selected as the recipient of the 2009 Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Award for Homes Outstanding Production Builder by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The award recognizes builders for outstanding production homes certified in the LEED for Homes program, and also for an ongoing commitment to green homebuilding. Pulte Homes, the nation's sole multi-brand homebuilding company.

November 11, 2009 Sustainability seals the deal on adhesives.

Growing awareness about the environmental impacts of using petrochemical solvents and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in adhesives, combined with new legislative requirements, is continuing to drive the development of 'green' adhesives.  While sustainable adhesives is not a new concept, Diane Montgomery, Marketing Manager at Henkel. More...

Fall 2009 Apache Nitrogen Product, Inc. has taken a Superfund site and turned it into a sustainability powerhouse, amping up their plant's efficiency in the process.

Established in 1920 as Apache Powder, Apache Nitrogen originally made dynamite of the mining companies, but shifted to ammonium nitrate as the industry changed. More...

October 26, 2009 The Quandary of Mandatory Sustainability Reporting with Gary Niekirk, Director of Global Citizenship at Intel.

Increasingly, voluntary sustainability reporting is becoming a mainstream practice. Yet with the global economy still roiling, trust in business remains low and the question of mandatory reporting is being raised with greater persistence. More...

October 5, 2009 Walmart has awarded the World Resources Institute (WRI) a $420,000 grant to help create a set of accounting tools for companies to measure the carbon footprint of their supply chains.

The WRI will use the grant to beef up its Green Supply Chain initiative and to produce the "Green Standards Guide,"  More...