2020 Climate Leadership Award Winners

by | Mar 5, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Organizational Leadership Award

California Department of Water Resources

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) manages the State Water Project (SWP), operates and maintains over 300 hundred miles of levees and other flood protection structures, provides strategic water planning, administers a multi-billion dollar grant program for local water management, and oversees dam safety throughout California. The California Department of Water Resources is being recognized for an Organizational Leadership Award for the following:

  • Focusing on climate adaptation through the development of its 2019 Strategic Plan to take a comprehensive, multi-benefit approach to water management that aligns state and local planning efforts. 
  • Preparing for the effects of climate change through its Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, which provides a comprehensive evaluation of vulnerabilities due to changes in wildfire, extreme heat, and sea-level rise, as well as to changes in ecosystems and long- and short-term hydrology. Additionally, the Vulnerability Assessment serves as a foundation for the development of an Adaptation Plan to help prioritize DWR resiliency efforts such as infrastructure improvements, and is also intended to be a model for other State agencies and water utilities to follow to conduct their own vulnerability assessments. 
  • Promoting climate change literacy and education by proactively engaging its employees and stakeholders in climate education and mitigation, specifically through a targeted staff training that is revised regularly to reflect the changes in climate science. Expanding classroom outreach in partnership with the Water Education Foundation and local education and science partners to facilitate the participation of 461 K-12 educators in workshops focused on climate change, reaching an estimated 110,000 K-12 students.

 

Jackson Family Wines

Jackson Family Wines is a family-owned and led wine company recognized for its leadership in environmental stewardship and crafting high quality wines, with such celebrated wineries as Kendall-Jackson, Stonestreet Estate Vineyards, Cambria Estate Wines in California and Penner-Ash and WillaKenzie Estate in Oregon. The Jackson family owns and farms thousands of acres of estate vineyards spanning the globe’s most significant wine regions. The company also employs over 1,600 people.

Jackson Family Wines is being recognized for an Organizational Leadership Award for the following achievements:

  • Incorporating Scope 3 Emissions into emission reduction goals. Jackson Family Wines and Familia Torres lead International Wineries for Climate Action, a working group dedicated to the reduction of carbon emissions across the wine industry, with an ultimate goal of achieving an 80 percent reduction in Scopes 1-3 emissions by 2045.
  • Setting strong goals for reducing absolute Scopes 1-3 emissions 50 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2045. 
  • Implementing the largest solar generation portfolio in the American wine industry with 7.1 MW of solar PV systems at eleven wineries in the U.S., with plans to add an additional 4 MW of capacity by 2020 and ensure 50 percent of the company’s electricity needs are powered by on-site solar.
  • Piloting nature-based solutions, including groundwater recharge during high rain events, and releasing irrigation reservoir water during low stream flows to provide needed water levels for endangered fish populations. Additionally, Jackson Family Wines is piloting a five-year carbon farming project to explore the impacts of sequestering carbon in the soil and plants by taking it out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis and biological activity.
  • Funding research at the University of California, Davis on an innovative solution to capture carbon dioxide and ethanol emissions from grape fermentation during harvest. 

 

Kilroy Realty Corporation

Kilroy Realty Corporation is a publicly traded real estate investment trust and member of the S&P MidCap 400 Index. The company provides physical work environments that foster creativity and productivity and serves a broad roster of dynamic, innovation-driven tenants, including technology, entertainment, digital media and health care companies. Kilroy Realty Corporation is being recognized for an Organizational Leadership award for the following: 

  • Demonstrating a deep commitment to climate mitigation by setting a goal of reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions 100 percent from 2015 to 2020, and reducing Scope 3 emissions 31 percent from 2017 to 2030. 
  • Disclosing climate risk by putting sustainability disclosures and board oversight of climate change risks and opportunities to the 10-K in alignment with the Taskforce on climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Kilroy Realty Corporation also communicates to investors via a wide range of disclosures including the Annual Sustainability Report, the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), and the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).
  • Working to reduce the carbon footprint of existing assets through energy and water efficiency projects sourced by the engineering and sustainability teams and executed by the construction, asset management and engineering teams. 
  • Engaging the supply chain on its carbon emissions through a survey of critical Tier 1 suppliers on their understanding and response to climate change and sharing analysis of these results with suppliers. Suppliers are also required to sign the Kilroy Realty’s Vendor Code of Conduct as part of the contracting process as of Q2 2019, which mandates that a focus on climate change be central to their work with the company.

 

Xcel Energy Inc.

Xcel Energy Inc. is a major U.S. electricity and natural gas service provider, based Minneapolis. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services to 3.6 million electricity and 2 million natural gas customers in eight Western and Midwestern states. Xcel Energy Inc. is being recognized for an Organizational Leadership award for the following: 

  • Setting an industry-leading interim goal to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent from 2005 to 2030 from the electricity that serves customers, with an aspiration to provide customers with 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2050. Xcel Energy Inc. was the first major U.S. electricity provider to announce such a goal, and since its announcement in December 2018, more than a dozen other utilities have followed its lead and announced similar goals. 
  • Engaging with communities to help them achieve their clean energy and climate goals by working to identify future energy goals and to develop strategic plans through its Partners in Energy program, and to work with communities through new Energy Future Collaborations, which aim to address local priorities, including how to best advance specific carbon and renewable energy targets, reduce a city’s carbon footprint, maximize conservation programs, and integrate emerging energy related technologies into homes and businesses. 
  • Investing in low-carbon transportation through a portfolio of innovative initiatives and pilot programs in Minnesota, focusing on expanding access to EV charging systems at home and on highways and other major corridors, and integrating electric vehicles into municipal fleet operations.
  • Publishing a special carbon report that outlines the company’s path to achieving its carbon reduction goals. The report provides an in-depth, scientific analysis of Xcel Energy Inc.’s carbon reduction vision, which at the time, was an industry first for this type of study. Internationally recognized modeling experts studied Xcel Energy Inc.’s goals and confirmed they are consistent with electric sector emission trajectories likely to meet the temperature goals of the Paris climate agreement.

 

Individual Leadership Award

Supervisor Dave Pine, County of San Mateo

The County of San Mateo is located in the heart of the San Francisco Peninsula, bound by the Pacific coast and San Francisco Bay shore. The County is home to over 770,000 residents, and is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors that are elected by district to alternating four-year terms. County operations include the maintenance of approx. 30 buildings, including: three County and part of one State office building(s), a medical center campus, a youth services center campus, two jails, multiple large rural and local parks and other infrastructure. The County of San Mateo has an annual budget of $3 billion.

Supervisor Dave Pine is being recognized with a Climate Leadership Award for Individual Leadership.

Highlights from his recent efforts include:

  • Initiating and shepherding the formation of Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), the first Community Choice Aggregation program on the Peninsula and fifth in all of California. The establishment of Peninsula Clean Energy, for which Dave continues to serve on both the Board and Executive Committee, and the “cleaner” mix of energy they provide to 97 percent of the ratepayers in San Mateo County, now achieves approximately 500,000 metric tons of reductions in emissions annually.
  • As a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, Dave was instrumental in the creation of the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability – now a permanent County office working on: energy efficiency and renewable energy, stormwater quality, solid waste reduction, balancing the jobs/housing gap, alternative and active transportation, and climate and resilience.
  • Dave sponsored the first conference in San Mateo County to bring attention to the threat of Sea Level Rise to San Mateo County. This conference and his leadership led to the funding and completion of the first Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment for San Mateo County.
  • Initiating and opening the first water summit in San Mateo County: “Flood, Droughts, Rising Seas, Oh My!” The Summit provided context on the urgency of Sea Level Rise to San Mateo County and the potential impacts from flooding and erosion. He led the effort to form the San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District, the first county-level agency in California to directly tackle sea level rise
  • As chairman of the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority (SFBRA), Supervisor Dave Pine played an instrumental role in the passage of Regional Measure AA, a nationally unique nine county Bay Area parcel tax to protect and restore the Bay. This measure is a parcel tax of $12 per year, raising approximately $25 million annually for twenty years to fund shoreline projects that would protect and restore San Francisco Bay.
  • Engaging with the community by holding events such as “Conversation and Coffee with Supervisor Pine,” and using these events to better understand the needs of the community and how he can translate that into resources, outreach of those resources, or expansion of existing, or creation of new, initiatives to solve issues.

 

Brendan Reed, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority manages and operates San Diego International Airport. The overall operations of the Airport Authority include fleet management, building operations and management, and airline operations. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has an annual budget of $477 million.

Mr. Brendan Reed is being recognized with a Climate Leadership Award for Individual Leadership.

Highlights from his recent efforts include:

  • Working with local retailers and attractions to offer offsets for air travel through The Good Traveler program, and collaborated with other airports around the country to become partner airports and promote The Good Traveler offsets at their locations. Since its inception, there are now 18 other partner airports (including San Diego International Airport) that have helped to offset more than 666 million air miles, the equivalent of removing over 104,000 metric tons of CO2. Brendan has helped grow The Good Traveler program, which has been used to offset various conferences and even the 2019 Super Bowl in Atlanta. 
  • Assisting in the funding and development of the Climate Resilience Plan. Published in May 2019, the Climate Resilience Plan serves as the Authority’s strategy for achieving uninterrupted business continuity in future climate conditions. The San Diego International Airport is the first airport in the country to have a standalone plan addressing climate resiliency. 
  • Leading the charge to build stormwater capture and reuse systems in three large projects at the airport. In May 2018, the Authority opened a new Parking Plaza in front of Terminal 2 including a below-ground rainwater storage system with a capacity of nearly 100,000 gallons. In a typical San Diego rain year, the stormwater capture and reuse system can offset 2 million gallons of water for reuse. Brendan has worked to secure stormwater capture tanks in new buildings currently under construction on the north side of the runway and future construction on the south side of the runway. The Northside stormwater capture tank currently has a capacity to hold 3 million gallons of rainwater with the ability to hold up to 9 million gallons at final build-out; the largest capture system in the San Diego region.
  • Working with the Director of Ground Transportation and other stakeholders to develop and implement a Transportation Network Company (TNC) Pilot Program to address TNC operations at San Diego International Airport. The transportation emission reduction strategies pertaining to TNC fleets include using cleaner fuels, using cars that have a higher mile per gallon (MPG) rating, and utilizing more carpooling/ridesharing (trip reduction), as well as a greenhouse gas reduction fee creates measurable targets with specific consequences for non-compliance. San Diego International Airport is the second airport in the country to have this TNC incentive program.

 

Climate Pioneer Award

William K. Reilly

William K. Reilly served as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1989 to 1993. He served as president and chairman of the board of World Wildlife Fund; president of The Conservation Foundation; and director of the Rockefeller Task Force on Land Use and Urban Growth. Mr. Reilly chaired the board of the Global Water Challenge and Climate Works Foundation. He serves on the Executive Committee of the U.S. Water Partnership and the board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. His corporate board service includes DuPont, ConocoPhillips, and Royal Caribbean. President Clinton appointed Mr. Reilly a founding Trustee of the Presidio Trust of San Francisco. President Obama appointed him co-chair of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and the Future of Offshore Drilling. For over 20 years he was a Senior Advisor to TPG Capital, an international investment partnership, and the Founding Partner of Aqua International Partners.

 

Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement Award)

Ingersoll Rand, now Trane Technologies

 

Trane Technologies, which formerly operated under the Ingersoll Rand name, is a global climate innovator bringing efficient and sustainable climate solutions to buildings, homes and transportation through its Trane and Thermo King brands. The $13 billion company has more than 36,000 employees with manufacturing and assembly operations across the globe. Ingersoll Rand, now Trane Technologies, is being recognized for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement Award) for the following:

  • Reducing emission intensity 45 percent from 2013 to 2020, exceeding a goal of 35 percent. Reducing absolute emissions 31 percent in this time period.
  • Their Refrigerant Management Technical Team works across the organization to establish best operating practices and equipment specifications to reduce the potential for refrigerant leaks during refrigerant storage, use and recovery – including an optical gas imaging camera to detect leaks, as well as a monthly reconciliation process to assess refrigerant losses at the manufacturing sites.
  • Reducing fleet emissions by minimizing large displacement vehicles, switching to the hybrid as the standard vehicle, and investing in engines enabled with turbo boosters.

 

SC Johnson

SC Johnson is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care, as well as professional products. The 132-year-old company, which generates $10 billion in sales, employs approximately 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. SC Johnson is being recognized for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement Award) for the following:

  • Reducing emissions 29.4 percent from 2015 to 2020, exceeding a goal of 15 percent.
  • Investing heavily in renewable energy, with one of the company’s two U.S. manufacturing sites running on 100 percent wind energy, and the other producing over 80 percent of its electrical energy from two 415ft wind turbines. 
  • In 2019, SC Johnson began installation of a GeoExchange system at its headquarters in Wisconsin to provide sustainable heating and cooling throughout the facilities.

Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate)

Baker Hughes

Baker Hughes is an energy technology company dedicated to making energy safer, cleaner and more efficient for people and the planet. The company reported revenue of $23.8 billion in 2019. Baker Hughes is being recognized for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate) for the following:

  • Baker Hughes set a goal of reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions 50 percent by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
  • Implementing energy efficiency projects in facility operations.
  • Increasing usage of renewables in utility contracts and onsite power generation.
  • Optimizing transportation scheduling and logistics to minimize vehicle idling and evaluating fleet conversion to low emission models.
  • Constructing, renovating, and retrofitting buildings to meet sustainable and energy efficient building standards.
  • Redesigning tools and equipment to reduce emissions throughout the supply chain, in manufacturing facilities, in use, and in end-of-life treatment.

City of Los Angeles

   

The City of Los Angeles is home to more than 4 million residents and has an annual budget of $28 billion. The City of Los Angeles is being recognized for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate) for the following:

  • The City of Los Angeles set a goal of reducing emissions from municipal operations by 55 percent from 2008 to 2025, with a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2045. The City’s prior goal was to reduce emissions from municipal operations by 40 percent from 2008 to 2025, which it achieved early, in 2017.
  • Transitioning to a cleaner electricity grid, by transitioning from coal, expanding its renewable energy portfolio, and developing a pathway towards 100% renewable energy.
  • Targeting transportation emissions by committing to convert all City fleet vehicles to zero emissions where technically feasible by 2028.
  • Increasing building efficiency to reduce energy consumption and electrifying when possible. Moving forward, all new City-owned facilities and major renovations will be all-electric.

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global automotive company whose core business includes designing, manufacturing, marketing, financing and servicing Ford cars, trucks, sport utility vehicles and electrified vehicles, as well as Lincoln luxury vehicles. Based in Dearborn, Michigan the company has 61 plants and about 196,000 employees worldwide. Ford Motor Company reported revenue of $160.3 billion in 2018. Ford Motor Company is being recognized for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate) for the following:

  • Ford Motor Company set a goal of reducing emissions 18 percent from 2018 to 2023. 
  • Procuring renewable energy through DTE Energy’s MIGreenPower program, providing 500,000 megawatt hours of locally sourced wind energy. Additionally, several assembly plants and research and engineering buildings will soon be powered by 100 percent locally sourced renewable energy, complementing a 500-kilowatt solar PV system already in place.
  • Driving reductions in energy consumption per vehicle produced through a comprehensive Energy Management Operating System, which drives continuous improvement through facility changes, data management, and energy supply and quality.
  • Implementing low emission sources through the installation of combined heat and power to replace thirteen boiler systems at the Saarlouis Assembly Plant.

 

Pitney Bowes

Pitney Bowes is a global technology company providing commerce solutions to clients around the world, including 90 percent of the Fortune 500. Clients rely on the accuracy and precision delivered by Pitney Bowes solutions, analytics, and APIs in the areas of e-commerce fulfillment, shipping and returns; cross-border e-commerce; office mailing and shipping; presort services; and financing. In 2020, Pitney Bowes proudly celebrates 100 years of innovation in commerce.

Pitney Bowes, Inc. is being recognized for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate) for the following:

  • Pitney Bowes, Inc. set a goal of reducing emissions 8 percent from 2015 to 2020.
  • Investing in energy efficiency through site consolidation. In 2018, Pitney Bowes consolidated more than 2.6 million square feet of office space and implemented 3 LED lighting retrofit projects.
  • Optimizing the fleet by condensing in-house routes, reducing drivers and vehicle fleet, and adding a newly acquired business to existing business routes. Additionally, Pitney Bowes initiated a series of fuel saving activities to minimize the fleet’s impact on the environment.

 

San Diego County Regional Airport Authority

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority manages and operates San Diego International Airport. The overall operations of the Airport Authority include fleet management, building operations and management, and airline operations. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has an annual budget of $477 million. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is being recognized for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate) for the following:

  • The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority set a goal of reducing Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions 80 percent from 2015 to 2035.
  • Achieving a 44 percent decrease in Scope 1, Scope 2, and staff business travel emissions by 2018.
  • Developing strategies to reduce emissions pertaining to Transportation Network Company fleets at San Diego International Airport by using cleaner fuels, using cars with a higher mile per gallon rating, and utilizing more carpooling/ridesharing. Additionally, a greenhouse gas reduction fee creates measurable targets with specific consequences for non-compliance. 
  • Replacing individual rental car company shuttles with Authority-owned rental car shuttles, consolidating trips and reducing emissions. The Authority plans to replace all shuttles with electric shuttles to mitigate emissions from these trips and will have 26 EV buses on-site by midyear 2020.
  • Investing in renewable energy, installing 5.5 MW of on-site solar PV at San Diego International Airport to meet 15 percent of electricity demand and planning for a 2 megawatt battery storage system in 2020.
  • Committing to convert ground support equipment to alternative fuels by 2024 and supplying adequate electric vehicle charging infrastructure to meet the forthcoming demand for electric vehicles for ground support equipment.

 

Seagate Technology 

Seagate Technology is the leading provider of hard drives and data storage solutions. Seagate employs over 40,000 people around the world, and reported $10.4 billion in revenue in their Fiscal Year 2019. Seagate Technology is being recognized for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate) for the following:

  • Seagate Technology set a goal of reducing Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions 20 percent from 2017 to 2025.
  • Implementing energy efficiency projects, including lighting, equipment, and controls upgrades.
  • Replacing high-GWP process gases with low-GWP gases.
  • Exploring ideas in product circularity to improve the environmental impacts of our products throughout the life cycle, including harvesting and reusing magnet components as well as increasing the post-consumer recycled content in raw material. Improving efficiency of storage solutions to reduce end use emissions.

 

WSP Global Inc.

As one of the world’s leading professional services firms, WSP provides engineering and design services in the Transportation and Infrastructure, Property and Buildings, Environment, Power and Energy, and Resources and Industry sectors, as well as offering Strategic Advisory services. WSP reported $7.9 billion CAD in revenues in 2018. WSP is being recognized for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate) for the following:

  • Setting a goal of reducing absolute scope 1, 2, and scope 3 emissions from business travel 25 percent from 2018 to 2030.
  • To achieve this target, WSP will continue to optimize its use of office space, lease energy-efficient real estate, increase the fuel efficiency of its vehicle fleet and implement other energy efficiency measures across its portfolio. The firm will also reduce emissions from business travel by reducing trips taken, as well as shifting to lower carbon modes of travel.

 

Innovative Partnership Certificate

Tyson Foods and EDF Partnership to Advance Sustainable Food Production

Tyson Foods and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) formed a partnership to develop and deploy initiatives that support Tyson’s sustainability strategy and help meet increasing consumer demand for more sustainably grown food. The partnership’s first project supports improved environmental practices on 500,000 acres of row crop corn to reduce GHG emissions, improve water quality and maximize farmer profitability. This effort will help Tyson meet its land stewardship commitment of working with farmers to improve environmental practices across two million acres of row crop corn by 2020. Tyson Foods and EDF are being recognized for an Innovative Partnership Certificate for the following:

  • Launching two pilot programs expected to scale sustainable agriculture practices on 500,000 acres of row crop corn to reduce GHG emissions, improve water quality and maximize farmer profitability, leveraging the power of cloud-based agricultural technologies that collect and analyze information about agricultural production practices to equip a network of agronomists to provide farmers with insights about the value of conservation practices and incentivize farmers’ adoption of these practices.

 

Wyoming Integrated Test Center

The Wyoming Integrated Test Center is a public-private partnership that brings together government, industry, and cooperatives with the shared goal of developing commercially viable uses for carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Overseen by the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, the project is funded and supported by six organizations from the public and private sector: State of Wyoming, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Wyoming Municipal Power Agency, and NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE. The Wyoming Integrated Test Center is being recognized for an Innovative Partnership Certificate for the Following:

  • Bringing together government entities, electrical cooperatives, energy producers, educational institutions and private foundations in an effort to solve the challenge of turning CO2 into a marketable resource on a global scale. 
  • Providing $21 million in funding for the creation and operation of a research test facility located on the site of Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Dry Fork Station near Gillette, Wyoming, where researchers can test Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration (CCUS) technologies. 

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