REI Looks to Others for Inspiration on Sustainable Standards: Q&A with Matt Thurston
REI’s director of sustainability Matt Thurston describes how the outdoor products retail cooperative developed sustainable standards for over 1,000 brands.
REI
Product Announcement: Report and Software Meet ‘Distinct Needs of Property Owners’
Portfolio property owners face unprecedented pressure from the market to upgrade their building stock to be more intelligent, comfortable and environmentally sustainable, but face substantial challenges. By using a new toolset encompassing tested and proven best practices, portfolio owners can overcome these challenges and
Kirk Myers, Sr. Manager Sustainability – REI
"Especially for consumer facing brands, none of us can do enough 'less bad' to have a global impact at scale. We have to continue to focus on 'less bad,' but also on 'more good.' We all - especially mission based brands and organizations - need to be focused on creating..."
EPA Names 2014 Green Power Leaders
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its annual Green Power Leadership Awards, recognizing 19 Green Power Partners and four suppliers across the country for achievements in advancing the nation’s renewable energy market and reducing greenhouse gas emissions . The award winners use a combined total of more than 7.6 billion kWh of green power annually, according the EPA. The ... Read more »
Microsoft, REI Among 100 Washington Firms Calling for Climate Change Action
More than 100 Washington businesses, including Microsoft, REI, Virginia Mason and Saltchuk, have launched an open declaration calling for action on climate change. The Washington Business Climate Declaration — a companion to the Climate Declaration launched in 2013 by Ceres — highlights the support of state business leaders for action ... Read more »
REI Buys RECs
In addition to 26 solar systems generating energy and a program to invest in energy efficiency, REI says it also now buys certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) to power more than 130 stores, two distribution centers and its headquarters. In 2013, REI bought 54,959 Green-E certified RECs from a wind ... Read more »
‘Cool’ Ideas Abound for Data Centers
The higher temperature ranges and increased humidity levels set for data centers by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) have spawned innovative ideas for data center cooling, according to the Wall Street Journal. For instance, REI is utilizing evaporative cooling at its data center near ... Read more »
First Grocer Joins How2Recycle
Wegmans Food Markets has joined the How2Recycle Label program, making it the first grocer to use the voluntary recycling label developed by GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition. The addition of Wegmans also pushes How2Recycle past its goal of 20 participating companies including Kellogg’s, Best Buy, Clorox, Costco, Esteé Lauder Companies Aveda ... Read more »
REI Data Center Using Free Cooling
A rooftop evaporative cooling tower has helped outdoors retailer REI to increase the IT load of its data center while keeping its electricity bill static, reports GreenBiz.com. The cooler, which allows the retailer to use “free cooling” techniques to keep its servers at the correct temperature, was part of a wider refit ... Read more »
Co-ops: the Future of Sustainable Business?
Cooperatives are often seen as being green-minded, but are they really more sustainable than businesses with more traditional set-ups? The days a of a small hippie-run cooperative grocery store as the norm are long gone. Co-ops are now big business. Revenues for the 300 largest co-ops total more than $2 trillion ... Read more »
REI Saves 93% on Data Center Energy with Evaporative Cooling
Outdoor retailer REI retrofitted its Seattle data center, resulting in a 93 percent reduction in the cooling energy used to operate the facility. The retrofit uses “free cooling” via a rooftop evaporative cooling tower to keep servers at optimal temperatures. The system reduces the need for mechanical cooling nearly year-round, ... Read more »
Schneider Electric to Develop Web-Based Higg Index
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) has selected Schneider Electric to develop a web-based version of the SAC’s sustainability assessment tool, the Higg Index 2.0, for the apparel and footwear industries. The web-based tool, which will use Schneider Electric’s sustainability and energy management software platform, StruxureWare Resource Advisor, will improve these ... Read more »