Recently in the Energy Category

Today, we ask you to add your support to WIPP's Economic Blueprint.
 
WIPP's mission is to carefully analyze and assess federal policy for small business owners in the following areas: Economic Principles, Access to Capital, Procurement, Healthcare, Energy and the Environment, and Technology and Telecommunications.

The outcome is the Economic Blueprint for the 112th Congress, which outlines the policy priorities of Women Small Business Owners.  The Blueprint is our call to action, which each one of us, regardless of political party or ideology, can unite behind.

By adding your name, YOU give this document strength and demonstrate your support of the Blueprint's principles to Congress.
 
As small business owners, we know time is precious. Please take one minute to add your name and strengthen a unified, national voice for women in business.  If you have already signed-on, thank you!

Click here to sign-on for no charge.

OR
For more visibility, click here to support the Blueprint at the level of your choice.

I attended the "Better City, Better Life" themed World Expo in Shanghai earlier this month but didn't learn much about sustainability because of my terrific client, Nancy Goshow, co-founder and managing partner of Goshow Architects in NYC. She gave a webinar yesterday for WIPP's Entrepreneurs, Energy and Environment (E3) series titled Creating a Business Value and Culture of Sustainability. Nancy packed so much information into the 30-minute webinar that I would highly recommend people to go listen to it online. You can find archived podcasts of this and other past training sessions on EntrepreneursAndEnergy.com in the Resources section.

Goshow Architects is dedicated to sustainable design for the public sector and is known for its diverse range of green projects in the New York metropolitan area. These are now starting to expand internationally.

 Most of us have, by now, started recycling programs and changed our light bulbs. Many have even quit using paper products. (Even me--who HATES to do dishes!). In this webinar, Nancy not only told us HOW to be a sustainable business, but more importantly for what I want to write about here -- how to create a culture of sustainability in our workplace.

 Nancy outlined points on creating that culture.

- Inspire stakeholders toward a greater greener future
- Engage by delegation and collaboration (two heads are better than one)
- Create a Green Task Force supported by a green study group
- Foster communication up and down within your organization
- Require accountability and flexibility from all participants
- Ask all stakeholders to be open and on the watch for new ideas
- Promote & Maintain an ongoing sustainability conversation with all stakeholders

She also discussed the triple bottom line: people, planet and profits. Goshow Architects has reached their goal for the triple bottom line this year:

- People: We are a diverse firm of architects working collaboratively
- Planet: On a variety of High performance green buildings
- Society:  For public sector government agencies serving the public good
- Profit: We are a very busy firm and we are profitable

 She said sustainability has given Goshow a future focused strategically for success in the 21st century. However, their success has not only been on green design for their projects, but because of the diversity of their people and projects. I'll be writing more about diversity in the future, and I love to see the importance of diversity tied in with sustainability.

Women talk. It is something that our gender has been well known to do and do well: communicate. We talk about our work, family, kids, and overall life. A big responsibility of being a working mother is taking on the additional task of "household manager". With this responsibility comes determining what products to shop for/use, and how to run your overall household.

Market researchers are forever turning to this segment of the population in determining if their products are working, how they can improve, and how they can capitalize on all this information to effectively be able to influence the household manager's buying decisions. Working women are not only consulted on household products, but also cultures around sustainable life and household energy practices.

I recently read a blog titled "Working Women: Key to Promoting Energy Efficiency" by a woman named Andrea Learned, who does an excellent job of connecting that with the number of women business owners now rising - who else would be better to influence and understand the sustainability and energy efficiency management in the household. She states that with energy efficiency and related technology on the rise, market researchers are correct in focusing on the biggest influencers - working mothers.

Further, the blog points to WIPP's August 2009 survey in commission with Women's Council on Energy and the Environment as revealing findings which directly supports her discussion.

Click here to see WIPP's complete Women's Survey on Energy & The Environment.

AT&T just released its 2008 Citizen and Sustainability Report - 'Connecting for a Sustainable Future', indicating increased social and environmental investments despite the economic downturn. It is an important report which highlights how this corporation is helping to strengthen education and workforce readiness, build communities and increase its own sustainable operations. The report sets a high bar for all of us, for we are all one community, and the strength of each buoys the strength of all of us.    

If we are going to be part of the economic recovery, we all need to participate, and we need to participate together.  This means large and small corporations, government and associations must work together to find true economic solutions. If our education system fails, our businesses will suffer; if lending options fail, investment in business growth will fail and our economy will continue to falter; if vehicles such as full broadband deployment are stymied, then advancements in telemedicine and other innovation will be put aside and healthcare reform will lose a valuable component. 

This is a challenging time, but with challenge comes opportunity and leaders emerge. Congratulations AT&T on implementing a vision for growth that addresses national challenges, WIPP is proud to partner with you. 

Most women can't imagine a day without flipping on a light, powering up a computer, or microwaving their food.  But we rarely think about where that electricity comes from and the impact our electricity choices have on the environment, the air we breathe, and our economy. Every month at bill-paying time, we know how the power bill weighs on the household budget, and now it is more important than ever to make wise choices about the electricity we use.

How clean is my electricity?

- It depends on which sources of electricity are used.  Nuclear, hydro (water), wind, and solar are energy sources that don't emit air pollution or pollution that contributes to global warming.

Find out how clean your electricity is. 
- You can get information on your utility's fuel mix and emissions profile and even calculate the emissions your home or business produces.  Go to www.epa.gov/cleanenergy; look under "Energy and You."

Check your utility when you write your check.

- Check your utility's Web site for information on clean energy, conservation, and efficiency programs offered for your home or business.  Find out how your utility plans to provide cleaner electricity; let the utility know your position.

Think bigger picture - your state and our country

- Check your state and federal energy department Web sites for information on the growing number of incentive programs that fund energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades for your home or business.  Start with www.energy.gov for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Change your elected leaders along with your light bulbs.
- Pay attention to what policies local, state, and federal elected officials advocate.  Vote for leaders who will move our country towards clean energy sources.

Where does most of the electricity in my home go?

- Home owners use electricity for lighting, operating appliances, producing hot water and, in some cases, heating and cooling.

- On average, air conditioning consumes 16 percent; your refrigerator, 13.7 percent; water heating, 9.1 percent; space heating, 10.1 percent.  Lighting uses another 8.8 percent; clothes dryers, 5.8 percent; freezers, 3.5 percent; furnace fans, 3.3 percent; and color TVs, 2.9 percent.

- When coal and other fossil fuels are burned to create electricity, greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere.  The average American home's electricity usage results in 18,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year released into the atmosphere.

What can I do in my home to help me save energy?

- Use warm or cold water in your washing machine.  And use clothes washers, dishwashers, and other electric appliances outside of peak hours.

Use programmable thermostats to adjust temperature settings according to daily and weekend patterns.

- Cool down a hot house at the end of the day.  That's more efficient than leaving the air conditioner running, even on a high temperature setting.

Buy Energy Star® room and central air-conditioning systems, windows, and appliances.

- Heating and insulation:  Have your heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system checked regularly; reduce heat loss by ensuring that your home has proper insulation in the walls, ceiling, floors, and attic.

- Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

- Turn off computers and game systems when they're not in use. 

How can I save energy at work?

- A laptop computer uses less power than a desktop - from 30 to 90 percent less.  And the sleep mode dramatically decreases use.  Also, it takes no extra electricity to power up a computer, nor does it hurt the computer.  But leaving the computer on exposes it to risks such as damage from heat.  So be sure to set your sleep mode to kick in after 10 minutes of inactivity, then turn off your computer if you expect to be away for an hour or more. 

- Selecting energy-efficient office equipment - PCs, monitors, copiers, printers, fax machines - can result in enormous energy savings.

- Energy Star®-labeled office equipment is widely available and offers enormous energy savings - as much as 90 percent for some products.  Energy Star®-labeled office products use about half the electricity of standard equipment.  For example, Energy Star®-labeled computers use 70 percent less electricity than computers without this designation.  Aside from saving energy directly, these products can reduce air-conditioning loads and electromagnetic field emissions from monitors.

Resources

- Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) and The Women's Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE) encourage women to become more aware of clean energy and get the facts about electricity because the choices you make affect you, your family, your job or business, your community and ultimately, the planet.  Go to www.wipp.org to download a free brochure, Women and Clean Power: Electricity Matters.