Mar 31 2010
Prudential Financial, Inc., (NYSE: PRU) today announced that its Roseland, N.J. office building has earned the prestigious Energy Star® symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star signifies that the building, located at 80 Livingston Avenue in Roseland, is among the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.
“We have implemented several initiatives over the past decade to improve our carbon footprint,” said Joyce Leibowitz, senior vice president and head of Shared Services at Prudential. “Receiving the Energy Star certification from the EPA is a testament to our efforts and encourages us to continue making improvements that will protect our environment.”
Commercial buildings that earn the Energy Star use an average of 40 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. To earn the symbol, Prudential implemented a strategic energy management program and made a number of improvements to improve the efficiency of the Roseland building.
“Improving the energy efficiency of our nation’s buildings is critical to protecting our environment,” said Jean Lupinacci, chief of the Energy Star Commercial & Industrial Branch. “From the boiler room to the board room, organizations are leading the way by making their buildings more efficient and earning EPA’s Energy Star.”
Michael Perrette, vice president and head of Corporate Facilities at Prudential said the company has made great strides in its environmental stewardship since 1998. “Prudential has reduced its net greenhouse gas emissions by 33 percent by installing energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling systems; replacing its fleet of security vehicles with hybrids; and implementing a telecommuting program for employees,” said Perrette. “The company is now working on plans to install solar panels at several locations.”
Initiatives implemented by various Prudential business units and corporate centers have helped lower carbon emissions by about 18,000 tons a year, the equivalent of removing 3,300 cars from the road for one year. These include a migration to Energy Star computers; physical changes to data centers to reduce the number of servers used and energy consumption; elimination of paper faxing in many areas and reduced paper use; reuse, recycling, sale, or donation of PDAs, cell phones, and PCs; purchasing equipment from ‘green’-conscious manufacturers; a ‘green print’ procurement program designed to reduce the amount of paper used to print and copy documents; supporting alternative work arrangements; and participating in the TransitChek® Transit Reimbursement Incentive Program where available to encourage employees to use mass transit.
Source: http://www.prudential.com/