CSA Spotlight On : Sustainability
By Katherine Field and Marianne Wilson, Chain Store Age
Energy conservation was a recurring theme in the sessions that
made up the Sustainability workshop track at SPECS/2011. The
importance of energy management to a retailer's bottom line was the
focus of the session entitled, "Making Sustainability a
Strategic Advantage With an Energy Management Program."
The speakers - Jon Towslee, VP strategic accounts,
Novar/Honeywell; Joseph C. Falci, senior director of rate analysis
and energy procurement consulting, Advantage AIQ; Benjamin
Collinwood, director of national accounts, REC Solar Inc.; and Bob
Valair, director of energy and environmental for Staples Inc. -
discussed energy procurement options, energy conservation and
renewable energy sources.
"A sound strategy leads to well orchestrated tactics," Novar's
Towslee explained. "Tactics indicate that we know where we are
going, but we also need to figure out how we are going to get
there." Towslee recommended to attendees that they take a step back
and consider carefully where they want to go in terms of
sustainability strategies and then formulate a plan for achieving
the pre-set objectives.
The speakers all agreed that energy management programs impact a
retailer's triple bottom line of social responsibility,
environmental responsibility and fiscal responsibility. They also
stressed that three building blocks are crucial to a meaningful
energy management program: renewable energy, energy procurement,
and energy conservation and efficiency.
"On the demand side, the objective is to maximize efficiency,"
Towslee said. "We are trying to create an environment for our
customers that is comfortable and inviting. With that, we also have
objectives to meet, such as conservation and cost savings."
Sometimes the best place to start is with the low-hanging fruit,
which can be as simple as reminding employees to shut things off
when they leave the store. "Look first at the low-cost, no-cost
things you can easily implement," Towslee advised.
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