It’s exciting when a Better Buildings partner achieves its energy savings goal, then steps up to best those goals time and time again. That’s exactly what Best Buy has done with its Better Buildings Challenge goal to reduce energy use, and now with its new commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2020.
Together with 80 other companies, Best Buy joins a White House-led initiative to take big steps to combat climate change through the American Business Act Pledge on Climate Change. Best Buy’s emphasis on reducing carbon emissions doesn’t just complement efforts in saving energy, it is indicative of a larger trend—more companies are seeking to reduce their energy intensity for the health of the planet and our climate because they realize they also achieve business benefits.
“While certainly an issue worldwide, the impact of climate change is felt close to home for all of us at Best Buy. It’s experienced in the communities where we live and work in the form of more droughts, storms and wildfires, and rising temperatures that affect human health. These climate changes, coupled with the fact that carbon reduction makes good business sense, are what brought us to the White House today,” said Laura Bishop of Best Buy in a blog post released by Best Buy.
In 2010 Best Buy set a goal of 20 percent in energy reduction across its stores and operations. This year we celebrated Best Buy for exceeding its goal ahead of schedule and achieving a 32 percent energy reduction from its 2008 baseline—an accomplishment possible through aggressive and persistent action across its energy systems and portfolio of stores.
Best Buy’s achievements have a particularly large impact because the approaches and strategies that Best Buy used to get to their goal aren’t kept locked up in the boiler room—they are shared publically and disseminated more broadly in the market through the Better Buildings Solution Center. Today any company looking to make similarly ambitious commitments can look up Best Buy’s showcase project that highlights lighting and an enterprise energy management system, or its implementation model on updating internal purchasing systems for a portfolio-wide energy upgrades, using maintenance funds.
No matter what your reason for reducing your energy footprint, please join us in congratulating Best Buy on this important milestone and be sure to check out their proven solutions.
Read more about Best Buy’s climate goal announcement at https://corporate.bestbuy.com/our-renewed-commitment-to-act-on-climate-change/
More info on the American Business Act Pledge on Climate Change: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/19/fact-sheet-white-house-announces-commitments-american-business-act