Scott Wood | January 31, 2012
What does "the world's leading aerospace company" have in common with "the world's largest casino entertainment company" or "the world's largest social network?" Probably not all that much. But Boeing, Caesars Entertainment, Facebook, Dunkin' Brands, JPMorganChase and Verizon have all plugged into a cost-effective, proven solution for slashing energy bills: EDF Climate Corps.
Environmental Defense Fund announced today the first 20 companies to hire EDF Climate Corps fellows in 2012. Participating companies span an array of industries from food and beverage to healthcare, and financial services to telecommunications, proving that anyone can tap into the trillion-dollar opportunity of energy efficiency. How? By hiring an EDF Climate Corps fellow for the summer.
EDF Climate Corps fellows are specially trained MBA students who work hand-in-hand with your staff to identify and prioritize energy-saving measures. During their summer engagements, they develop customized energy efficiency investment plans that cut costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Since the program started in 2008, EDF Climate Corps fellows have uncovered over $1 billion in energy savings for participating organizations.
Just as the companies that join EDF Climate Corps represent a variety of sectors and sizes, they also come to us at many different points on the path to comprehensive energy management. We've found that even companies that have pursued aggressive efficiency campaigns benefit from the fresh perspective and enthusiasm that these students bring to their mission.
"We believe this program will help us identify areas where we can reduce our energy consumption and build greater efficiencies into our manufacturing processes while we continue to build a stronger business that supports thousands of jobs across the nation," said Mark Daniels, VP Sustainability & Environmental Policy at Hilex Poly.
We're actively recruiting companies for EDF Climate Corps program in 2012 -- join us in the hunt for energy savings! Matching of host organizations and EDF Climate Corps fellows is already underway, so interested companies should apply now at edfclimatecorps.org. For more information, please email info@edfclimatecorps.org.
As President Obama said in last week's State of the Union address, "the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy." I think that's something everyone can agree on, and EDF Climate Corps is a great way to make it happen.
EDF Climate Corps places specially-trained MBA and MPA students in companies, cities and universities to develop practical, actionable energy efficiency plans. Sign up to receive emails about EDF Climate Corps, including regular blog posts by our fellows. You can also visit our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter to get regular updates about this project.