TEXTILES.ORG
Designtex, New York, N.Y., has announced that, for the fourth year in a row, it has operated as a carbon neutral company. The surface materials company assessed its full operational footprint and reduced or offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its business, resulting in a net-zero footprint.
Susan Lyons, president of Designtex, says “Designtex views climate change as an urgent matter. This year, we are pleased to help fund renewable energy projects and promote innovative educational programs.”
Designtex continues to partner with NativeEnergy, a leading provider of carbon offsets and greenhouse-gas footprint consulting. To mitigate its emissions, Designtex is funding two projects this year, the first of which is the Indiana School Wind project. School administrators in Indiana considered ways to use the abundant wind in their state as a source of energy for their schools. By relying on carbon offset funding, several school districts have been able to install wind turbines that now power school buildings. Perhaps more significantly, the schools developed a curriculum to provide hands-on renewable energy education for students, which sends them into the future with sought-after green job skills and knowledge.
NativeEnergy’s Help Build™ model gives funding upfront for the carbon reductions the project will generate, providing financial support that enabled the project to be developed. The Indiana School Wind project will reduce 39,000 metric tons of emissions for Designtex and other NativeEnergy partners over its first ten years of operations.
Additionally, this year Designtex is supporting the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Methane Capture and Use project on tribal lands in Colorado. The project captures methane that seeps into the atmosphere from coal seams that rise to the ground’s surface. This release of methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases, has been observed since the 1800s. Harnessing the “fugitive” methane and putting it to good use as energy is an effective way to address climate change. The Ute project will reduce up to 60,000 metric tons of emissions per year. Both the Southern Ute Methane and Indiana School Wind projects are certified to the Verified Carbon Standard.
In 2013, Designtex is also crowd-sourcing its employees to invite ideas for more internal reductions in every area of the company. In the past, Designtex reduced its impacts by installing LED lights, energy-efficient equipment and reducing waste. This year, employees are urged to come up with new carbon-reducing, energy-saving ideas to help the company meet its reduction goals throughout its operation.