Earth Day 2024: Showing the Way

At the time, environmental consciousness was thought of as a hobby or an alternative practice for those desiring a lifestyle more “off the beaten path”. It’s encouraging to see what was once considered a “movement” is now a part of public policy, business operations, and beyond.

From grassroots, community organizations to multinational corporations and government entities, efforts to reduce overall environmental footprint and mitigate the effects of climate change are being adopted rapidly across the globe. Latest reports note that 66% of the five hundred largest companies in the world have a significant climate commitment and 39% have a net zero target.

And even with the strides made over the last 50 years, we are at a pivotal point in our history.  The effects from climate change will continue to impact us if we do not conserve natural resources and reduce our carbon footprint. I want future generations to be able to savor all that this beautiful planet has afforded me to experience.

Earth Day must be every day. We must all be environmental stewards of our shared planet, conserve natural resources, and show the way towards climate action. I am proud of the impact Ameresco makes on a daily basis – from our work on behalf of our customers to empowering our employees to live sustainably and care for our communities.

For example, our long-term partnerships with customers such as Republic Services are helping them make significant strides towards near-term goals. Through our renewable natural gas (RNG) plants, we’ve been supporting their journey to beneficially reuse 50% or more of their biogas by 2030.

A significant focus of our work includes helping K-12 schools and universities to modernize their energy systems to reduce their carbon footprints and improve learning environments. Looking to enter into a new era of environmental responsibility, St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM, partnered with us on a solar and energy efficiency project that is designed to reduce its carbon footprint by 858 metric tons and have a long-lasting impact for the students and faculty.

We’ve been supporting the Federal government to deploy clean energy resources to advance resiliency and carbon reduction goals since our early days. One recent project with the General Services Administration, which is supported by the Inflation Reduction Act, will reduce energy consumption and costs at four federal buildings in the Dallas area and six in Louisiana, and is estimated to reduce emissions by about 6,000 metric tons per year. This project is advancing the Administration’s goal to achieve a net zero emissions building portfolio by 2045.

Earth Day is especially celebratory for Ameresco as today marks the start of our annual Go Green Challenge – a company-wide competition featuring daily eco-friendly activities to promote sustainability and the power of making small changes that can make a big impact.  Our executive leadership is serving as Team leaders to participate, motivate and inspire our team members during this challenge. Being mindful of the many ways to reduce our own carbon footprint creates a ripple effect that lasts beyond the timeframe of the Challenge, and I am excited for the opportunity to help guide others and also learn from each other.

While we’ve come a long way since the initial celebration of Earth Day, we must remain steadfast in our efforts. Join me on this journey to work hard every day and show the way towards energizing a sustainable future.