EVENT RECAP: SUSTAINABLE ENERGY & YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
While recent headlines show an increased focus on renewable energy from large scale suppliers, manufacturers, and Fortune 500 businesses, how do the new energy standards set forth by the Biden Administration affect small businesses today?
To understand these new regulations, Craig Grant and Rob Schuler of Worthington Energy Consultants joined the Gerber team to discuss the current state of the industry and what companies today need to know in order to succeed in this new environment.
If you missed their presentation, a recap of “Sustainable Energy & Your Small Business: The Trillion Dollar Question” is below! Read on for the highlights!
About Our Presenters: Worthington Energy Consultants
Worthington Energy Consultants serve a wide variety of industries in energy procurement, electricity and natural gas sourcing, ESG Planning and Implementation, and much more. They are leading experts in this field, and want to help the small business community learn to navigate the constant changes in renewable energy and carbon emissions.
What is ESG Planning and Implementation?
ESG stands for Environment, Social, and Governance and refers to a score given to companies that indicates how they are doing on a variety of company goals. Most recently, the Environmental regulations have been under review by the federal government, so knowing the different types of emissions that will be regulated is important to ensuring your business is fitting these stringent standards.
Scope 1 Emissions are direct emissions from company-owned and controlled resources. These are Emissions released into the atmosphere as a result of a set of activities at a firm level.
Scope 2 Emissions are indirect emissions from the energy purchased from a utility provider. These utilities include electricity, steam, heat, and cooling necessary for firm operations.
Scope 3 Emissions are all other indirect emissions not reported in Scope 2 that occur in the operations of a company. An example includes the emissions of the airplanes your team may take to travel for business.
How have things changed so far?
Many big businesses are asking their suppliers to change their emissions standards so they are able to fit the standards that the federal government has put forth. In addition, larger utility companies like AEP are beginning to offer options for businesses to purchase renewable energy through their channels, rather than investing in potentially risky renewable energy startups. These can be helpful for small businesses who are looking to make the switch to renewable energy.
What can I do as a small business owner?
If you’re interested in learning more, Walmart has released sustainability guidelines for vendors and nonvendors, and Microsoft is also offering an open source solution to help small businesses understand the new environmental standards.
Worthington Energy Consultants can also help you to navigate the ever changing world of energy standards and come up with sustainable, long-term solutions to help your company meet its energy goals.
If you are a small business owner and want to be proactive in getting your business up to these standards, be sure to visit their website.
If you’d like to watch the full recording of this webinar, you can do so here.
Has your small business been affected by new energy standards? Share with us on Facebook and Instagram!