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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Local companies tout green footprint recognition

An environmentally-advanced Madison program has received national praise for its work to create successful sustainability initiatives.

The MPower ChaMpions Business Program, an initiative that informs businesses across the city about measures to save money through energy-efficient means, was the subject of a local celebratory conference Wednesday. According to a City of Madison statement, the program promotes energy-saving strategies that have an impact on climate change and is comprised of efforts by both private and public venues.

The statement said the program takes on businesses that have applied to participate and provides a year-long training session in an effort to teach them how to decrease their environmental footprint.

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According to the statement, the program has received national praise from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its environmentally conscious policies.

As a result of the program’s environmental efforts and significant results, the EPA has added Madison to the list of 50 “climate showcase communities,” and the national organization will host its annual conference in the city during the month of May, the statement said.

Sustain Dane, a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable energy solutions, Madison Gas and Electric and the City of Madison contributed to the creation of the program, the statement said.

Jess Lerner, Sustain Dane’s sustainable business initiative director, said the program creates a significant impact for businesses in the Madison area.

“The Mpower Champions Business Program is important because it helps businesses take action to improve their triple bottom line: people, planet and profit, and positively impacts our community, all while creating models for the rest of the country,” Lerner said.

According to the statement, more than 70 eco-friendly projects were successfully completed last year through the program in an effort to reduce 1.5 million pounds of carbon emissions.

American Family Insurance, The Bruce Company and minor league baseball team Madison Mallards, along with 13 other companies, participated in the program last year.

Although the projects are implemented locally, Lerner said their implications are far-reaching.

The statement said Madison Concourse Hotel is one company that has had a significant impact by implementing a laundry system saving 40,000 gallons of water per year and simultaneously eliminating more than 100,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Other projects made possible through Madison’s program include a food stand in the Madison Mallards ballpark providing only locally-grown food, according to the statement.

In the first two years of its implementation, the MPower Program has cut 13,500 metric tons of carbon emissions, the statement said, which is the equivalent of removing 3,000 cars from Madison roads each year.

University of Wisconsin geography professor Holly Gibbs highlighted the importance of cutting carbon emissions.

“Cutting carbon emissions is critical for the environment because … it turns into carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and it is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to ongoing climate change,” Gibbs said.

Wednesday’s conference to celebrate the program’s success featured 70 participating business to share their individuals stories. More businesses are expected to join the program this year.

“People told us it wouldn’t work, and we’ve proved them wrong,” Lerner said.

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