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Enterprise Commits to Reduce Energy Use Over Five Years
Published on: June 4, 2010
Enterprise Holdings, the car rental holding company overseeing Enterprise, Alamo and National, said it is now committed to reducing both energy use and energy costs by 20 percent over the next five years through a new sustainability initiative the company is calling its 20/20 Vision. Through an upfront investment in energy-saving technologies and conservation practices, the company expects to decrease the environmental impact of neighborhood car rental branches and airport facilities it owns and operates through its regional subsidiaries. The company expects to reduce energy costs by $50 million.
“The 20/20 Vision aligns the interests of our customers, employees and partners with the long-term interests of our business by expanding our environmental commitment through every level of our operations,” said Lee Broughton, director of sustainability for Enterprise Holdings. “Proactively reducing our energy use and natural resource consumption not only decreases our impact on the environment, but also will result in cost savings to ensure the sustainability of our business.”
The 20/20 Vision was developed based on recommendations by Enterprise Holdings’ Chairman’s Task Force on Sustainability -- a cross-section of the company’s departmental leadership -- that is leading an assessment of the company’s operations to identify opportunities to make significant, positive changes. Using these recommendations, operations managers throughout the company are developing energy- and cost-reduction goals. Initial changes -- such as using more energy-efficient lighting and switching to energy-saving software tools -- at the company’s headquarters in St. Louis and across more than 7,600 neighborhood and airport locations will lead to a dramatic reduction in the company’s energy use and costs.
Enterprise Holdings began piloting the 20/20 Vision in select markets in 2009. Based on the success of those pilots, the company is now rolling out the program companywide -- nationally and internationally, across the Alamo, Enterprise and National brands. “Since we began formally focusing on sustainability issues several years ago, we’ve built a robust platform of initiatives to reduce our environmental impact and improve the communities in which we operate. With the 20/20 Vision, we continue to look forward toward an even more sustainable future -- through the next five years and beyond,” said Broughton.
This announcement marks the next evolution of the company’s environmental platform, which includes initiatives such as a customer carbon offset program; a pledge to plant 50 million trees over the next 50 years; an unparalleled fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles, FlexFuel vehicles, and gas/electric hybrids; the use of biodiesel fuel in its Alamo, Enterprise and National airport shuttle buses; and a commitment to alternative fuels research. Since 2006, Enterprise’s environmental stewardship has resulted in: In its first year, customer participation in the company’s carbon offset program, along with a match from the company’s charitable foundation, generated $440,000 to fund several certified offset projects that work to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. With partner TerraPass, these projects offset 42,000 metric tons of carbon, which, based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards, is equivalent to saving 4.8 million gallons of gasoline and 98,000 barrels of oil. For more information about the company’s full environmental platform, visit www.keystogreen.com . For more information on Enterprise Holdings, visit www.enterpriseholdings.com.
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