EDF Climate Corps Blog

  • Making the World a Better Place: One Megawatt at a Time

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | October 2, 2014

    What does it take for a manufacturing firm with 24/7 operations to incorporate sustainability goals into its daily activities? I learned the answer to the question this summer at Owens Corning.

  • Three Ways to Boost Energy Efficiency after the “Low-Hanging Fruit” has been Picked

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | September 24, 2014

    Companies today are increasingly investing in energy efficiency upgrades, both to conserve energy and to reduce operating costs. By lowering greenhouse gas emissions and fuel expenses, energy efficiency benefits the economy as well as the environment in the face of climate change.  Being from Bangladesh, a country that is on a trajectory to become completely submerged as sea levels rise, climate change is an important issue to me and is largely the reason why I joined EDF Climate Corps. 

  • Companies Turn to Technology to Engage Consumers in Smart Energy Management

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | September 18, 2014

    Most of us in America would argue that affordable and reliable energy access is a basic life necessity, possibly even a basic human right. However, JD Power & Associates recently reported that only 3% of consumers are actually reviewing their energy usage more than once a month. Interaction with this commodity is almost entirely passive. Utilities do whatever it is they do to keep the electrons flowing, and we pay the bill.

  • My Sleepover at The Mart

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | September 11, 2014

    How does one maintain a facility of 4.2 million square feet, with five acres of roofs, that is two city blocks long and has 375 tenants? And, how does a building built in 1930 (also the largest building in the world at that time) compete with current technological innovations and new energy conservation trends? The answer lies in having accurate data, which can be a challenge considering the sheer size and age of this particular building. 

  • EDF Fellow Shares GM Experience

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | September 9, 2014

    Ten weeks ago, if you had asked me what I know about automotive paint, I probably could have told you everything I knew in 25 words or less. Half of those words would have been “um” or “uh…” Now, having immersed myself this summer in everything paint-related, I still don’t consider myself an expert, but I can safely say that I learned more than I thought possible, due in no small part to the patience of my coworkers and their eagerness to share knowledge.

  • Changing Light Bulbs Can Mean a Wealth of Energy Savings

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | September 4, 2014

    A few months ago, I traveled halfway across the world from the bright, hot tropical beaches of south-east Asia into a gloomy, chilly Chicago summer to begin my journey as an EDF Climate Corps fellow. A week before I started at Associated Materials, a thunderstorm flooded the entire ground floor of the corporate office, and the place needed to be completely restored. 

  • The First US City to Run out of Water?

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | September 2, 2014

    Experts predict that by 2025 Sana’a, Yemen will become the first capital city to run out of water. They predict that by 2030 India will need to double its water-generation capacity or face the same fate, and water supplies in Istanbul, one of the world’s largest cities, is at just 28 percent. 

  • Fellow Reflection: District Energy for a District City

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | August 27, 2014

    There is no substitute in this town for knowing the streets and walking them yourself. Likewise, to move an energy project along, you have to get out from your desk and start shaking hands to make real progress.

  • How CA Technologies is using its Namesake to Boost Sustainability

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | August 25, 2014

    Upon entering my fellowship, I knew my work at CA Technologies in Islandia, NY would involve machinery in some way. From mainframe servers to laptop computers, I was immersed in an eclectic array of hardware and software that fuel CA’s business approach. But, what I did not know then was how I would interact with technology to help CA reduce its energy consumption.

  • The Solution to Accurate Energy Data May Be Closer Than We Think

    EDF Climate Corps fellow | August 21, 2014

    As Lord Kelvin famously said, "If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it." Here at 77 West Wacker, despite extensive metering relative to comparable buildings, we have found a lack of visibility into energy consumption data is one of the greatest barriers to implementing energy conservation measures (ECMs).

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