Living in a "Green" Economy

August Mack was retained by a client in Indianapolis, Indiana to complete a facility-wide sustainability assessment. The main objective of this project was to evaluate the facility with regards to specific sustainability criteria and develop a baseline for the current status of the facility. Although many issues and metrics were reviewed, the emphasis for this project was placed on environmental practices, energy usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. August Mack completed a full environmental assessment and provided numerous recommendations for improvements as well as identifying all areas where the facility was out of compliance with the regulatory standards. Information and energy related data was obtained allowing August Mack to develop a Portfolio Manager database in the Energy Star program. This allowed for the facility to have a baseline of metrics for a number of energy-related Energy Star parameters including:

• Energy Star rating
• Current site energy intensity
• Current source energy intensity
• Total energy cost per square foot
• Current direct GHG emissions
• Current indirect GHG emissions
• Water usage metrics

Utilizing the above parameters, the facility was able to track future usage of energy and water with the emphasis on making positive improvements. In addition to these sustainability issues, the assessment did review raw materials and processes to see if any obvious improvements could be undertaken that would be more sustainable and not require a large capital outlay. The end result of this project provided a baseline of the current status and identified a number of improvement projects that will make the organization more sustainable.

If you are interested in learning more about August Mack's sustainability experience, please contact Tom Anderson at 317.916.3105 or via e-mail at tanderson@augustmack.com.