Page 18 - LRCC August FOCUS 2023

S u sta in ability :
Sustainability:

PROTECTING THE PLANET IS

GOOD BUSINESS

In recent years, the concept of by 2025 – 15 years earlier than planned
sustainability has gained broader allowing them to achieve their net
zero carbon emission goal by 2040. A
support in the business world. large part of that is due to massive
investments in renewable energy
Business leaders are increasingly sources.
realizing the power of sustainable “It also comes from significant
business strategies in not only internal efforts to ensure efficiency

addressing the world’s most and reliability,” said Tracy Wimmer, WIMMER
media relations specialist, Consumers
pressing challenges but driving Energy.

their firms’ success. Simply put, Those efforts include investing in new technologies, like
sustainability is good for business. the addition of Automatic Transfer Reclosers, which is a
device placed on lines that isolates problems on electric
lines and automatically transfers power.
Sustainability is also critical for any organization
concerned about its ability to attract and retain talent. “We are also working with customers to reduce their
40% of millennials have taken a job because of a energy usage overall,” said Wimmer. “That’s not only
company’s sustainability credentials and would take residential but business customers as well. It saves money
a pay cut to work at an environmentally responsible for them and it’s better for the environment.”
business. As millennials make up the largest proportion of
the workforce, not delivering on important sustainability Consumers’ Clean Energy Plan calls for more reliance
credentials could mean you fail to attract top talent. on clean energy such as solar, wind and batteries. The
company is having ongoing conversations with property
FOCUS Magazine spoke with leaders at seven owners and communities across the state to help them
organizations in the region to gain insight into their understand there is a huge financial benefit for them to
sustainability initiatives. site large scale solar or wind projects.

Consumers Energy: A Sustainable “A lot of those projects can take a long time to develop,
Energy Future for Michigan but because we already have several projects across
the state, people are starting to see those benefits in
In 2021, Consumers Energy made a sweeping proposal real time,” said Wimmer. “It is only going to get easier
to be an industry leader in sustainability through from here.”
accelerating the planned closures of all of their coalfired
generating facilities. Their Clean Energy Plan, which relies Consumers Energy is also a national leader in supporting
on more renewable energy sources like solar and wind the transition to electric vehicles (EV). The company
will help Consumers reach their zero coal and net zero has expanded its EV team to help customers better
carbon goals. The company will eliminate the use of coal understand rebates for which they are qualified. The

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