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A lot happened this year. The U.S. made some notable progress with the first Muslim and Native American women elected to Congress, and SpaceX launched the world’s most powerful rocket. We also experienced some major lows, with hundreds of innocent lives lost to multiple mass shootings and families torn apart due to the current administration’s troubling immigration policies. Now, with 2018 coming to a close, attention is being redirected to the year ahead.
Before we begin anticipating what’s to come in 2019, let's step back and celebrate a few of this year's most encouraging corporate sustainability accomplishments.
In April of 2018, Best Buy committed to the SBTi and is now in the process of setting targets. This past summer, the company hired EDF Climate Corps fellow Daniel Katzenberger to design Science-Based Targets that include emissions from the company’s entire value chain (Scope 1, 2 and 3). Katzenberger focused on the company’s largest source of emissions, the Scope 3 category: use of sold products. These are the emissions derived from customers using the products they purchase from Best Buy. By working with manufacturers, vendors and merchants, Katzenberger proposed ways for Best Buy to improve the energy efficiency of the products the company sells, thereby lowering the carbon footprint of its customers.
Tyler Van Leeuwen, group carbon opportunities manager at Shell and an EDF Climate Corps alumni, leads a team in charge of identifying and implementing innovative ways for Shell to reduce its own CO2 emissions, as well as those of its customers. Van Leeuwen identifies and incubates opportunities for reducing CO2 emissions and delivering low-carbon energy to customers, all while delivering business value. This includes promoting investments in natural carbon storage solutions and scaling financing models that enable profitable use of renewables across Shell’s portfolio.
This past summer, Matt Panopio, an EDF Climate Corps fellow, was hired to calculate Lyft’s carbon footprint. He collected activity data and identified critical sources of emissions across the company’s value chain, providing the company with its first-ever GHG emissions inventory. This data inventory lays the foundation for future sustainability initiatives and carbon emissions reporting at Lyft. It also arms the company with the information needed to determine the strategies best suited for meeting its GHG goals—whether that be investing in renewable energy or deploying electric vehicles.
As head of the EDF Climate Corps program, I am in the unique position of having exposure to hundreds of first-hand stories about how individuals like Daniel, Tyler and Matt are helping companies, utilities and cities pave the way for a low-carbon future. I’m excited for what’s to come in 2019, and eager to learn about—and share—more inspiring sustainability leadership stories like these.
Previously published on 3BL Media news.
Image credit: Pixabay
As Director of EDF Climate Corps, Scott Wood builds and manages strategic partnerships that improve corporate energy management and advance the clean energy economy across the U.S. and internationally.