Ecology and Environment, Inc., (NASDAQ: EEI) has been a quiet leader in “walking the sustainability walk” since its inception in 1970. Its practices in energy and water conservation, recycling and composting, and the use of recycled, non-polluting and energy-efficient products extend back to a time when “green” was not widely embraced, but was something E & E’s founders held a personal belief in employing throughout the company’s business practices.

 

“From our use of 100-percent recycled paper products since 1971, to our proactive yearly report on internal sustainability activities since 2004, at E & E we believe environmental responsibility is not a new way of doing business – it’s the only way of doing business,” said E & E president and CEO Kevin Neumaier.

 

The environmental consulting firm’s recent announcement of achieving an 80-percent reduction in annual carbon emissions associated with building energy use at its global headquarters in Lancaster, N.Y., thus comes as little surprise. E & E’s achievement––accomplished in just nine years––is the result of a series of measures, targeted toward not only infrastructure improvements but the direct engagement of employees in energy efficiency, that have also netted hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings.

 

 

Efforts implemented between the baseline year of 1999 and 2008 specifically enabled the company to achieve a37 percent (12,000-ccf) reduction in natural gas usage and 23 percent (198,000-kWh) reduction in electricity usage. Furthermore, comparing associated upfront costs of approximately $58,000 for energy conservation measures plus $20,000 for the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (low-impact wind and hydro power) with an estimated $310,000 in energy cost savings from 1999 to 2008, the company saved approximately $232,000 over the nine-year period. Based on current energy costs, E & E additionally estimates annual savings of $43,000 relative to energy costs that would have been accrued prior to implementing its energy conservation measures.

 

E & E employed a variety of GHG reduction methods that contributed to this achievement, including the development of GreenMeter® (greenmeter.com), a “real-time” energy consumption tracking and management system designed to identify energy efficiency opportunities. In addition to developing the system, E & E installed a GreenMeter monitor in the lobby of its headquarters, allowing both employees and visitors to readily viewbuilding energy use data throughout the day.

 

 

 

 

Built in 1986, E & E’s 64,000-square-foot headquarters building is also the world’s oldest LEED^® Platinum-certified structure under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) rating system. Thus, the company’s 80-percent GHG reduction accomplishment is magnified by the fact that it began focused energy efficiency efforts in 1999 with a building already achieving better-than-average energy efficiency.

 

“This is not only a testament to the fact that others can most certainly follow our lead, but that further efforts can be made within even today’s ‘greenest’ buildings,” Neumaier said.

 

With its headquarters building and as a company overall, E & E continues to model that “green” is not only possible, it can also be prosperous. Recently recognized as one of 2009’s “FSB 100” Top 100 Fastest-Growing Companies by Fortune Small Business, E & E has also experienced significant gains as the world market continues to accelerate its sustainability practices.

 

“In 2008, during one of the bleakest years in the stock market’s history, we managed to achieve a 40-percent earnings increase in the fourth quarter,” Neumaier stated. “This speaks loud and clear to the way the green economy is flourishing, and the role we continue to play within it.”

 

To learn more about E & E’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.ene.com and download the company’s recently published 2008 corporate sustainability report.

 

• Built in 1988
• Awarded LEED-EB Platinum in 2008
• 300-foot-long atrium
• More than 1,000 indoor plants
• Rooftop solar panels
• Functions on 100% renewable electricity
• HQ property is a 100 acre nature preserve
• 160 bird species on property
• Member of Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program

• Includes: Private offices, open work stations, Lobby, full length Atrium, Training Area, Multi-purpose Room, several Conference Rooms, 2 kitchenettes, maintenance areas, Operations Center, Computer Center, Copy Center.

• Conditioned Space:¹ 62,000 SF / Total Cost:² $6.2M

• Cost Per Square Foot: $95

• Natural Gas (2008): 32 kBtu/ft²
• Electricity⁴ (2008): 38 kBtu/ft²
• Other⁵: None kBtu/ft²