Evolution Marketing, llc 's Climate Action Contribution
About Evolution Marketing, llc 's Climate Efforts
“It’s really important to highlight these examples of leadership that in this case, Lisa is providing. There’s this sort of gradual interest in electric cars that’s starting to grow, and we need some people (i.e. President of Evolution Marketing) who are ready, who sight-unseen are ready to take the chance on something like this.”
Quote from Tom Eggert, Executive Director – Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council
June 22nd, 2012 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Key points in our process:
2010:
- Carbon Footprint analysis
- Ownership decided to replace gasoline vehicle with an alternative fuel vehicle. Money was put down on a zero-emission Nissan Leaf (vehicle was supposed to be available in WI in2011.)
- Measure and track mileage and fuel efficiency for the company vehicle. More formalized process put in place.
- Since gasoline vehicle could not be replaced right away (i.e. because vehicle was not available in WI market), a routing system/standard was put in place. This means that all work trips were confined to a couple days a week (i.e. not happening daily - multiple trips were lumped together into one longer trip.) All trips were also routed – meaning that the first stop for a trip would be the furthest away from the office and the other stops would take place closer and closer to the office. Routing was implemented because it brought an increased level of fuel efficiency to the entire trip as well as it reduced total amount of miles driven (verses when routing was not used.)
- Regular vehicle maintenance occurred, all with the aim of maximizing fuel efficiency.
- Made it a priority to carpool with others when driving to meetings/events/workshops that are more then 30 miles away from the Evolution Marketing office.
2012:
- Evolution Marketing green fleet vehicle (zero emission Nissan Leaf) leased in June 2012. Evolution Marketing was the first Wisconsin business to add zero-emission vehicle to their fleet! Over 95% of all business trips were able to be made by the Evolution Marketing leaf. The leaf became the primary work vehicle and members of our team were trained on how to do ”eco-friendly” with an electric vehicle.
- Evolution Marketing installed a commercial grade exterior building level two charging station made by Eaton Corp.
- Lisa Geason-Bauer joined the WI Clean Cities Program.
- Summer of 2012 - Evolution Marketing bought 12 tons of carbon offsets to cover all the miles driven from Jan 1st, 2018 – June, 2012 by the gas vehicle.
“She’s (Lisa Geason-Bauer) setting the pace for other businesses in bringing that technology (i.e. electric vehicles) to Wisconsin.”
Quote from Lorrie Lisek, Head of WI Clean Cities SE Area
June 22nd, 2012 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Article
2013:
- Evolution Marketing joined the Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air (WPCA) coalition - that is an organization comprised of over 250 businesses, community organizations, schools and government agencies committed to improving air quality through voluntary action. This organization highlighted best practices to increase fuel efficiency. {Organization disbanded in spring of 2018.}
- Evolution Marketing was featured in an article in the WI Clean Cities newsletter that highlights the business case for why the Nissan Leaf makes Cents for Evolution Marketing.
- Example of Leaf energy used for the entire year. Evolution Marketing paid 2.4 cents a mile to operate the Nissan Leaf utilizing 100% renewable energy purchased through Oconomowoc Utilities Green Power Partner Program in 2013.
2014:
- Evolution Marketing has joined the EV Everywhere Challenge {Challenge ran from 2013 – 2017 throughout the US}. As part of the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, the Federal Department of Energy launched the Workplace Charging Challenge in January 2013, with the goal of increasing the number of American employers offering workplace charging by tenfold in the next five years. Evolution Marketing joined the Challenge in Sept. of 2014 and we were the third WI business in this program. Subcontractors have used the commercial grade Eaton charging station that Evolution Marketing pays for. Find more information about the Workplace Charging Challenge and the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge at www.electricvehicles.energy.gov
2015:
- Lisa began petitioning the Waukesha –Ozaukee – Washington County Workforce Development Board to allow Board Members to call into board meetings that were bringing held in the far corners of the other Counties in lieu of requiring in-person attendance.
- Lisa’s family purchased a sub-compact vehicle that has a 40-mpg fuel rating. This vehicle has been able to be utilized for in-state conferences and meetings that were outside of the Evolution Marketing leaf’s range/where charging stations did not exist.
- Evolution Marketing began using conference call/video meeting software for interfacing with clients that are outside of a 30-mile radius of the Evolution Marketing office. By switching to conference call/video conferencing we were able to cut down on drive time to meetings and to be more efficient in our management of our individual workloads.
2016:
- Lisa’s petitioning paid off and the Waukesha –Ozaukee – Washington County Workforce Development Board began providing calling in numbers and conference calling options for Board Members when they are in a different County than the meeting is being held.
"Lisa has been a member of the Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington Workforce Development Board for over five years. Up until two years ago, board members were required to attend meetings in person. Lisa advocated for the board to look at revising this policy to not only promote sustainability but to also promote inclusiveness for all members. The board represents a 3-county area, which is fairly large in geography and can create lengthy travel times for some members. The board has embraced this and now has a call-in option available for all meetings. "
- Laura Catherman, President, Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington County Workforce Development, Inc.
2018:
- Evolution Marketing began purchasing carbon offsets for all conference travel (i.e outside of WI, where a commercial flight was required.)
- Formalized the Evolution Marketing Transportation policy.
Evolution Marketing Transportation Process Program:
At Evolution Marketing we have strived to manage our business in a triple bottom line manner; over the last eight years, we have established a robust internal organizational policy for transportation that takes into account a holistic management approach to sustainability.
Our current transportation policy is…(1) if we can attend the meeting via conference call/video call, we will participate in the meeting from our office. If an in-person meeting is required, we will (A) drive the zero-emission electric fleet vehicle to the meeting; if the meeting is more then 30 miles away we will (B) try to carpool with a colleague going to the meeting/event and if that will not work, we will as the last resort (C) drive the 42 mpg compact car to the event. In the event that (C) occurs, Evolution Marketing will offset the carbon footprint of the miles driven by the gas vehicle.
When driving to meetings/errands etc. on behalf of Evolution Marketing members of our team utilize eco-friendly driving techniques as well as the routing/map strategy for the trip planning.
Results:
For the first five years that Evolution Marketing was in business, we generated about 11.6 tons of CO2 from driving our non eco-friendly vehicle and that accounted for 75% of our total carbon footprint. In 2012 we purchased carbon offsets to cover all the miles driven. We used the data generated in our carbon foot print analysis to make a responsible business decision when it came to replacing our vehicle. In 2012, we were the first business in WI to purchase the ZERO EMISSION all-electric Nissan Leaf for our fleet. From June 2012 – Dec. 31st, 2017 we put 27,099 miles on our company Leaf. Evolution Marketing mitigated 7.3 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. That’s enough to fuel .78 homes’ energy use for 1 year.
Climate Action Commitments
Current Climate Actions Evolution Marketing, llc Is Taking:
Commit to Reduce Short-lived Climate Pollutant Emissions
Short-lived climate pollutants—such as black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons—are powerful climate warmers many times more potent than CO2 over their lifetimes. Because they are short-lived in the atmosphere, actions to reduce these super pollutants can have substantial, near-term climate, agricultural and health benefits and are an essential complement to CO2 reduction strategies. Policy-makers can announce regulatory or voluntary approaches to drastically reduce SLCPs, such as developing methane strategies or adopting rules on use of warming HFCs. Organizations can commit to engage with suppliers to provide training, conduct pollutant inventories, and establish systems for tracking, measuring, and monitoring these types of emissions. Analysis shows that SLCP emissions can be cost-effectively reduced by an estimated 40-50 percent by 2030.
Policymakers, companies and organizations are encouraged to accept the #SLCPChallenge of the U.S. Climate Alliance, which calls for ambitious action on SLCPs. Feel free to elaborate on your work towards reduction, along with your other efforts, in the "Other Commitments" field below.
Commit to Remove Commodity-driven Deforestation from Supply Chains
Restoring our forest’s ability to store carbon on a global scale is a critical and cost-effective climate mitigation solution. Making a commitment to eliminate deforestation means setting targets to assure key commodities in your supply chain (like palm, soy, beef, paper and pulp) are from deforestation-free sources. An ideal target could be to establish a disclosure and reporting plan for your supply chain and/or conversion to 100% deforestation-free commodities by 2020.
Commit to Reduce Climate Impacts of Packaging and Reducing Waste
There are many ways to reduce the climate impact of packaging including reducing materials (i.e., “source reduction”); replacing virgin materials with post-consumer recycled content; replacing traditional plastics made from fossil fuels with biopolymers; re-designing packaging to be more compact and therefore efficient for transport and storage; using biodegradable packing materials; and recycling at end of the packaging’s life to name just a few practices.
Commit to Responsible Engagement in Climate Policy
While individual organization action is necessary, local and federal government action is also needed to reach global climate goals. Your organization can have a critical voice in advancing public policy. A commitment to responsible engagement in climate policy means that your organization commits to supporting public policy to: promote energy efficiency and renewable energy; increase investment in a clean energy economy; support climate change adaptation, or put a price on carbon.
Commit to Building Climate Resilience in your Community
By committing to adapt to the impacts of a changing climate, companies and institutions can secure their operations and supply chains and conserve natural resources that are stressed due to climate change. While there is much a business can do within their community, primary among these options is reducing water usage. Organizations can commit to increase their own water security through a range of actions, including installing water-saving devices, capturing rainwater for onsite uses, and recycling grey water. Or just commit to get engaged with your community in resilience planning.
Commit to Reducing the Climate Impact of Your Transportation
Organizations making a commitment to reduce the climate impact of transportation should consider practices such as measuring transportation greenhouse gas emissions and setting reduction targets, switching fuels, optimizing the efficiency of shipping operations, and reducing transit- and travel-related greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses can develop a green transportation action plan to map the movement of goods to market and identify opportunities to increase efficiency. Organizations can buy hybrid and electric vehicles within their own fleet, and can reduce the footprint of their workforce through incentivizing public transportation, installing EV charging stations, promoting telework, and locating near transit centers.
Commit to Increase Your Use of Renewable Power
Increasing your percentage of renewable energy sources is a key component of reducing overall GHG emissions. Installing onsite renewable generation, like solar panels, is a good long-term strategy if possible. But renewable energy can also be procured through Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), renewable power purchasing agreements (PPAs), and in some locations from retail electricity providers or local utilities that offers a high percentage of renewable power. Also consider becoming an EPA Green Power Partner.
Commit to Increase Energy Efficiency
Most companies begin by assessing energy usage or performing an energy audit to identify opportunities to increase energy efficiency throughout their facilities and operations. Energy reduction targets can be framed as either absolute reductions or reductions that are normalized per unit of production, such as per tons shipped, per dollars of revenue produced, or other relevant business metric. Some examples of commitments that can be taken include:
- Conducting an energy audit or request a meeting with your building owner to explore scheduling an audit
- Upgrading HVAC system to a more efficient model
- Upgrading lights in your office/facility to LEDs
- Upgrading insulation and windows
- Replacing appliances in your office with Energy Star-rated models
- Instituting a company policy of turning off lights other electronics when not in use.
Commit to Understand and Reduce Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Understanding your GHG emissions is the first step to making measurable reductions in those emissions. The EPA provides an overview report and CoolClimate Network provides a simple tool for “low emitters” to better understand sources of emissions, as well as how to use that information to set reduction targets. For this commitment, it is as simple as committing to complete a greenhouse gas inventory for your business or oganization, but in the future your inventory can be used to make a commitment to set a specific goal, such as “reduce GHG emissions by 50% by 2025.
New Climate Actions Evolution Marketing, llc Commits To Take:
Integrate Climate Change into Portfolio Analyses and Decision-Making
Commit to integrate climate change-related risks and opportunities in portfolio analysis and decision-making processes through one or more of the following:
- Analyzing and assessing climate change-related risks and opportunities (e.g. through carbon footprinting, scenario analysis).
- Making commitments and setting targets (e.g. to carbon footprint reduction, to enhanced portfolio resilience, to decarbonization, including via the Portfolio Decarbonization Coalition).
- Investing in low carbon investment funds and other products (e.g. low carbon indices, climate-aligned bonds).
Commit to the Natural and Working Lands Challenge
The natural systems upon which we depend are essential to life and critical for reducing the impacts of climate change on our communities. These systems are also under threat from human activity and climate change. Maintaining the resilience of natural and working lands is an important part of any GHG emission reduction strategy. It is also important to securing the well-being of communities, economies and ecosystems. Actions that secure and enhance the “carbon base,” such as land conservation, restoration, and improved management, also support watersheds and food systems, improve air quality, protect against urban heat islands and sea level rise, and preserve the beauty and function of natural areas and parks. Those that accept the NWL Challenge should commit to securing natural and working lands as a resilient net sink of carbon. This will take different forms for different actors. For example, local, sub-national and national jurisdictions might take a broad approach like that of the U.S. Climate Alliance. Landowners and managers may wish to focus on restoration and implementing climate-smart practices on their own lands. Businesses may look at their supply chains and customers as potential partners, and incorporate natural and working goals into their own climate change commitments and strategies.
The U.S. Climate Alliance States commit to taking actions that will reduce GHG emissions and increase carbon sequestration in forests, farms, rangelands, wetlands and urban greenspace, and integrating these pathways into state GHG mitigation plans by 2020. The Natural and Working Lands Challenge calls on other states, cities, nations, tribes, businesses and others to make the same commitment within their organizations. Feel free to elaborate on your work towards this challenge, along with your other efforts, in the "Other Commitments" field below.
Areas For Collaboration
We are interested in collaborating on the following:
Efficient Buildings
- Encouraging more aggressive state energy efficiency policies
- Supporting building thermal decarbonization and electrification
Electric Vehicles
- Aggregating demand for electric vehicles with other actors
- Encouraging more aggressive state targets for electric vehicles and GHG standards
- Promoting increased charging infrastructure
Local Collaboration
- Collaborate on climate and clean energy action, and to advocate for stronger climate policy at the local level
Natural Lands
- Developing in measurement and monitoring systems to target efforts and track progress
- Encouraging states to adopt incentive programs for forest management, tree cover expansion, and soil health
Utility Sector
- Encouraging more aggressive state renewable energy policies
- Supporting states, cities, and utilities in decarbonizing their energy supply