Wednesday, February 22, 2012

IKEA Marches Toward 100% Renewable Energy

Woah. Imagine the company you work for or even the home you live in is powered with 100% renewable energy. It sounds like an audacious goal, but a very large company also known as IKEA, is moving towards just that. In IKEA's 2011 Sustainability Report, the company reveals that they are halfway to their goal of 100% renewable energy to power all of their facilities. They use mainly solar PV and wind turbines but they did install a geothermal system in their new Denver, Colorado store built in 2011 (check out my post titled IKEA Denver Leads the Way for Big Box Geothermal Installations). This is pretty cool and I can't wait for them to get to 100% renewables. This also shows that giant corporations, if they put they mind to it, can really contribute to a more renewable, efficient, and sustainable world.

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Wishful Thinking

*Before adding PV, wind, or solar thermal to your residential or commercial structure, the first step is to analyze this structure's energy consumption through a professional energy audit. I'd like to see some public education on the importance of an energy audit for any structure. Remember Smokey the Bear's forest fire shtick drilled into our heads over the last few decades? How about something like, "Henry the House" desperately wanting to know how much energy he consumes and wastes throughout the day?

*With over 300 sunny days a year on the Front Range is it too much to ask for solar PV and thermal modules on every residential and commercial unit (after an energy audit of course)?


*How about affordable plug-in electric cars that go more than 100 miles on a charge with PV and wind powered recharging stations?

*Dreaming of companies large and small adopting business sustainability practices to maximize profits, reduce their carbon footprint, and enhance the lives of their employees and the communities that surround them.

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