HOW THE CORPORATE ELITE WILL CHANGE OUR COUNTRY’S ENERGY POLICY

As I have discussed in a previous blog (Will Tech Companies Forward Thinking Drive Utilities Out of the Energy Market?) Tech giants have been at the forefront of this green trend for years.

Businesses like Amazon and Apple have already taken bold action to help initiate the drive towards the clean energy revolution. They are blazing this path by switching to renewable power. Amazon is funding large wind farms and Apple will now power their server farms and data centers on renewable energy. They are helping to accelerate the buildup of renewable power to help us deliver a more sustainable energy world for what will soon be 9 billion people.

These companies are part of a group of corporations who have signed on to cut their (CO2) emissions and procure their electricity solely on green energy, as part of The Climate Group’s (a non-profit organization) global initiative known as “RE100”. At Climate Week in New York City in 2014, RE100 was launched to engage, support and showcase influential companies committed to become sustainable while using 100% renewable energy.

Companies joining RE100 are setting public goals to procure their electricity from 100% renewable sources of energy by a specified year. RE100 is attempting to accelerate the transformation of the global energy market by aiding the transition to a zero carbon future.

To date, 36 companies have now pledged to go 100% green with some pretty heavy hitters joining the party. These include: Goldman Sachs, IKEA Group, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Nike, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks and Walmart. 

The fact is that clean energy commitments are important for both for the signals they send to government policy makers and for the fact that they represent an influential part of our economy that is investing in renewable energy solutions, which in turn are supporting anti-fossil fuels policies. Politicians and major media outlets will find it hard to continue to feed Americans the “pro-environment = anti-jobs” cop out any longer, when you know you’ll be contradicting some of the most successful businesses in the world.

Having some of the world’s most well-known organizations involved, this will help The Climate Group’s agenda at the United Nations conference, COP21, where key decision and policy makers will gather to further talks on Climate Change.

“With these powerful companies committing to going to 100 percent renewable energy, it sends a strong message to other businesses and policymakers; that this is the direction we all need to go. The more companies that join this line of thinking, the sooner we will get closer to ending our reliance on fossil fuels.

Corporate commitments to 100% clean energy will continue to drive more and more renewable projects. The first large-scale wind farm is being built in the southeast (thanks to an Amazon commitment to buy energy from it). It will also create a sizable portion of the economy that is interested in improving environmental policy that keeps us moving forward towards a sustainable, clean energy future.

These are smart business decisions. It will help manage fluctuating energy costs and reduce dependence on fossil fuel which in turn will help us reach carbon emission reduction goals. It also shows leadership from the companies that influence Americans on climate change which is critical in improving government policy that boosts confidence and enables long-term investments.

Organizations are gaining a better understanding of how becoming 100% renewable is to their advantage. They are creating a greater public recognition of their plans and achievements as they work towards their goals. Research shows that some of the most aggressive companies have seen roughly a 27% return on their low carbon investments.

It may not seem like a major event from the outside looking in, that a handful of companies committing to going 100% green. However, as more and more influential companies continue this trend they will continue to push the pile in the right direction. That will result in a brighter and cleaner future for generations to come.

Matthew Helland
Senior Vice President – NAEA

Sources:
http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/nine-corporate-giants-commit-100-renewables-heres-why-it-really-matters.html
http://www.theclimategroup.org/what-we-do/programs/re100/
http://there100.org/re100
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/23/starbucks-wal-mart-nike-goldman-sachs-take-on-100-renewable-energy-pledge.html