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We?re Getting on Board the MAGIC Bus to Save Energy

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:42:00 -0600

I’ve often said that we pursue every way to lower our carbon footprint. Here’s a simple idea that will have a big impact: Why not take the bus to work?

In this case, we’ve rolled out a fleet of 25 buses to take our techs from job to job in New York City. In a crowded urban area where traffic is ferocious and parking spaces are at a premium, we thought this would save a lot of time as well as gas. Click here to view a video and infographic of the MAGIC buses.

It turns out that the savings will be significant. Our buses – dubbed MAGIC buses, for Mobile Area Garage Installation Center – will remove 250 trucks from the roads of New York City, and save an estimated 70,000 gallons of gas each year.

The buses were customized to carry all the equipment and supplies our techs will need throughout the day, and two of the MAGIC buses were designed to be fueled by compressed natural gas, and also have plug-in electric systems.

The savings here roll into our overall sustainability goal of cutting our carbon-intensity by 50 percent by 2020. And it’s just one of dozens of energy-saving efforts in the works. We have more than 2,000 vehicles that run alternative fuel. We’re greening our offices, building ENERGY STAR-certified stores andhelping customers recycle their old wireless phones. We’re testing new technologies like electric work vans from VIA Motors, powering cell sites and network facilities with solar panels, and fuel cells, and saving gas by installing GPS monitoring and diagnostic systems in our vehicles. We’re even monitoring tire pressure and reducing the weight of equipment carried on our work vans. All to lessen our impact on the environment.

I’m particular tickled by our MAGIC buses, because they’re a win on so many fronts. We save on gas, reduce truck maintenance and cut carbon emissions, our techs move from job to job more efficiently, and there’s less traffic on New York City streets. And there’s one more benefit from getting on the bus – no more New York City parking tickets.

Highest Ranked Traffic Cities and Green Cures

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:05:00 -0600

Ever feel like rush hour traffic congestion is getting worse? Well, if you live in D.C. you are right.

According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s annual Urban Mobility Report, D.C. holds the top spot for traffic congestion. And if you live in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York or Boston, you also rank in the top five traffic congested areas in the United States.

Everyone knows sitting in traffic is a waste of time and test of one’s patience. But there are some less visible consequences of these heavily congested areas, including the toll on our wallets and the environment.

The Urban Mobility Report concluded that the total cost of traffic congestion in 2012 was $121 billion, or $818 per commuter. In addition, we wasted 2.9 billion gallons of gas and emitted 56 billion pounds of CO₂into the air. But there is hope at the end of the tunnel...

While there are many alternatives to driving in rush hour and everyday traffic, one option is already available in nearly 90 percent of U.S. homes… Telecommuting.

The high-speed broadband Internet connection has fostered a new era of staying connected without the drive. From online college courses, banking and shopping, to streaming video and connected gaming entertainment, home broadband enables us to accomplish more without the associated travel. Now, more than ever….

These activities can become something we do, rather than somewhere we go.

And for telecommuting, less time wasted behind the wheel means more productivity, less gas consumed, and less carbon.

The Global eSustainability Initiativerevealed that broad adoption of household online activities can contribute to a reduction of energy consumption and resulting carbon emissions – equivalent to taking 55 million cars off the roadin the U.S. and five European countries.

And Verizon has been long conducting research into the “Borderless Lifestyle” – or anytime, anywhere connectivity on any device. Today, nearly 40 percent of U.S. adults own a PC, a smartphone or tablet, have an Internet-connectable device at all times, and routinely enjoy the benefits of a connected home.

The power of technology can save hours behind the wheel and cut CO2, and it could put traffic congestion patterns in reverse.

Follow us @VerizonGreen - and stay tuned here for a fleet announcement we are making next week, and news about our growing telecommuting program, which are part of Verizon’s powerful answers to help reduce traffic and C02 emissions.

The Sustainability Thought Leaders of Tomorrow, Here Today

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 08:24:00 -0600

At Verizon, we're always challenging ourselves to find new ways to further reduce our carbon footprint and help our partners and customers do the same. To help reach that goal, we often collaborate with a number of sustainability innovators and thought leaders, which includes our long-standing valued relationship with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

The EDF is a national nonprofit organization that helps develop solutions to the nation’s most critical environmental problems. Today, the EDF announced that, once again, Verizon has signed up to cut energy costs through a unique EDF initiative -- the EDF Climate Corps.

The EDF Climate Corps is a program that helps organizations more efficiently use energy, but in a unique way -- by training bright young leaders and embedding them in companies such as Verizon, as well as universities and cities across the U.S. As part of the EDF Climate Corps, these well-trained students work to help improve the energy performance of the businesses and communities they serve.

Victoria Mills, Managing Director at EDF explains that the EDF Climate Corps “...is powered by a new generation of leaders with the skills and passion to make a difference. That’s why leading organizations turn to EDF Climate Corps year after year to take their energy management efforts to the next level."

These students are truly helping transform energy usage. In fact, each participating organization the EDF Climate Corps has assisted has, on average, found $1 million in energy savings.

As a third-year participant, Verizon looks forward to hosting its next fellow from the EDF Climate Corps. It's one more way we can work collaboratively to find powerful answers to America’s energy challenges. This opportunity allows us to share our knowledge and work in sustainability, and gain a fresh perspective from another future leader of a greener tomorrow.

E-Cycling: Corporate and Community Engagement

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:38:00 -0600

To help our employees at Verizon and the communities we serve, we started conducting recycling rallies in 2009 with overwhelming success. Many of our customers and employees, alike, were thrilled to have a place to dispose of their old electronics. The result of this endeavor to date is a carbon offset of 1, 425 tons. That is the equivalent of 25 charter buses recycled and kept out of our landfills!

By the end of this year, our goal is to surpass 1M pounds and we are on track to exceed that number. With 6 out of 11 planned recycling events completed, we have collected approximately 150 tons of e-waste thru July. In addition to the community events, around America Recycles Day (November 15), we plan to sponsor a week of multiple internal recycling events. This annual event mobilizes many of our 8,500+ green team members around the world and truly inspires me.

Want to see an event in action? Check out our Recycling Rally video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5EZG_1WPVo

In the interim, if you have an old TV, PC or VCR that you want to get rid of, we suggest you visit www.1800recycling.com to find a recycling location near you!

Measuring the Energy Reduction Impact of Select Broadband Activities Report and Webinar

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 08:17:00 -0600

The US alone could generate an annual net energy savings of about 336 million barrels of oil by conducting everyday tasks online instead. These findings were recently published in the Global e-Sustainability Initiative’s latest report, Measuring the Energy Reduction Impact of Selected Broadband-Enabled Activities Within Households.

France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. could generate an annual net energy savings of 164 million barrels of oil, the study found. In total, the six countries featured in the study could achieve net energy savings equivalent to 2 percent of their total annual energy consumption. Of the eight activities studied, telecommuting provided the largest energy benefit, generating about 83 to 86 percent of net energy savings respectively. The seven other activities studied were online banking, auctioning/purchasing, education, downloading videos/music, e-mail, using the internet as a primary news source and using digital photography.

One of my colleagues wrote about the study on Verizon’s Responsibility Blog. Read the full post herehttp://bit.ly/MDXSr8.

While this is probably seems like common sense to most Energy Central readers, the data, degree of research, and insights support a need for common sense policies and practices. If you’re interested in digging deeper into the study, please join us on June 26^th, 2012 at 11:00 EDT/17:00 CET for a free webinar that will explain all the GeSi study findings led by American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) economist John A. Laitner.

To register or learn more about the webinar, please visit this site to register or for more info.

Inaugural Blog Post: Sustainability, Business Leaders and more to come...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:43:00 -0600

I’ve been lurking around Energy Central quite a bit recently, benefitting from the insight shared by many of the thought leaders gathered here. I’ve finally decided to jump inwith two feet.

As chief sustainability officer and vice president of supply chain services for Verizon I have the privilege of being engaged on a wide variety of sustainability initiatives from our smart buildings programs to partnerships utility companies to research projects. I have to admit, however, that I’m often most inspired by the people I meet both at Verizon, where more than 8,000 employees in 20 countries form a volunteer and affinity program called the green team, and sustainability leaders from across the globewho I regularly meet outside of the company.

I recently had the pleasure of talking sustainability with Jeff Seabright, chief sustainability officer for Coca-Cola, and Michael Jacobson, director of corporate responsibility for Intel.

You can find a great summary of our panel discussion as written by Raz Godelnik on Triple Pundit here http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/06/jeffrey-hollender-talks-csr-executives-intel-coca-cola-verizon-sis-2012/. Hats off to author, Jeff Hollenderwho as the moderator helped keep uson trackand to Mr. Godelnik for providing a comprehensive summary of the discussion.

I look forward to sharing other thoughts, insights, and information in the future.