Page 91 - ECOlogic Book

organizations had joined Green Lights including 12% of the Fortune 1000
companies.

Energy Star Computers: Most major manufacturers now offer an “energy
star” feature on new computers. These computers are programmed to shut
off automatically when the operator is away for a certain length of time (set
by the operator), without losing data, and to automatically return to where it
was at the time of shutoff. Computers are active less than 20% of the time
they are on. They are often left on when not in use (in large corporations
computers are typically left on at night and over weekends). This automatic
shutoff feature amounts to a dramatic reduction in energy use, costs, and
greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA introduced the Energy Star Computer
Program in 1994.

Energy Star Buildings: Also introduced in 1994, the Energy Star Building
Program is an invitation to companies to: engage in the Green Lights
Program; do a “building tune-up” with a preventive maintenance plan;
reduce HVAC loads with low-cost retrofits, upgrade to variable speed fan
systems; and replace or upgrade chillers to phase out CFCs.

Waste Wi$e: A company signing on to this program commits to achieving
results in waste prevention, recycling collection, and buying or
manufacturing recycled products. In 1994, Detroit Edison (now DTE Energy)
signed on to the Waste Wi$e Program.

On the part of business, there are several new initiatives in the Great lakes
Bioregion. The Council of Great Lakes Industries (CGLI) has developed a
partnership with the Council of Great Lakes Governors to develop award
criteria which has been published in matrix form in a Total Quality
Environmental Management (TQEM) Primer. The matrix serves as a
building-block for companies interested in implementing a TQEM program.
The CGLI is also working to integrate TQEM into university curricula with the
aim of reaching students in engineering and business. This program
combines criteria from the Balderige Award (Total Quality Management),
with the empowerment of employees as a major criterion, along with
ecological sustainability. Ford Motor Company is a leader in this field, with a
commitment to building in environmental quality from the beginning.
Chrysler and GM are not far behind. In southeast Michigan another new
initiative is known as P3, the Pollution Prevention Project. In 1994, MERA
(Michigan Energy Research Association) and Resource Recycling Systems of
Ann Arbor collaborated to address pollution prevention opportunities through
P3. New information is provided to businesses in Southeast Michigan and
creative insights are shared for eliminating or reducing sources of all wastes.
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