Company Shares Sustainable Commitment With Member
Companies
Overland Park, Kan. (July 16, 2008) -- Black & Veatch, a leading global
engineering, consulting and construction company, hosted a meeting today for
150 member companies of the Greater Kansas City Climate Protection Partnership,
coordinated by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
During the meeting, members discussed progress on implementing sustainable
practices and heard an address from New York Times Environment Reporter,
Andrew Revkin.
“Black & Veatch’s company-wide efforts include the introduction of a
formal sustainability initiative that focuses on internal operations,
professional awareness, knowledge and actions, as well as community
involvement,” said Howard Withey, Chief Administrative Officer of Black &
Veatch, who welcomed members and provided information on the company’s
activities. “Our sustainability approach includes a set of solutions that
incorporate long-term environmental, economic and social impacts.”
The company has implemented numerous changes in support of its
sustainability initiative, including purchasing hybrid vehicles for its
construction fleet, implementing double-sided printing to reduce waste, and
being an active participant in Kansas City Power & Light’s Mpower
program which calls for the company to reduce energy usage by 300 kilowatts
during peak demand periods.
“What we have found is that seemingly small changes, such as using
fluorescent light bulbs in our large office buildings and eliminating the use
of bottled water in company meetings, can have a tremendous impact and are
things our professionals can readily replicate at home,” said Withey. “We
estimate that by replacing nearly 400 incandescent light bulbs in our Kansas
City-area and Ann Arbor, Mich., office locations, a reduction of 276,000 pounds
of carbon dioxide will be achieved over the life cycle of the bulbs.”
Black & Veatch also estimates that its double-sided printing and bottled
water policies have reduced waste by approximately 28 tons and two tons per
year, respectively.
In addition, the company constructed Kansas City’s first corporate rain
garden. Black & Veatch’s rain garden is part of Kansas City’s 10,000 Rain
Gardens initiative that links citizens, corporate sponsors, educators, students
and members of non-profit organizations with government officials to take
action on important environmental issues such as water quality and stormwater
flow. Planting 10,000 actual rain gardens in the Kansas City area during the
next few years should reduce potential problems with water pollution and stream
degradation. Approximately 100 area Black & Veatch professionals have taken
part in the company’s Rain Garden Brigade.
“Black & Veatch is working with clients worldwide to develop sustainable
solutions that address energy assurance, climate change and water scarcity,”
said Withey. “Our professionals are very passionate in their work and this has
carried over into our commitment to sustainability at our places of business
and homes.”
About The Greater Kansas City Climate Protection Partnership
The Greater Kansas City Climate Protection Partnership, coordinated by the
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, offers businesses and organizations
the opportunity to lead the community toward the complementary goals of reduced
regional greenhouse gas emissions and increased economic competitiveness.
Greater Kansas City employers are in a unique position to contribute to
solutions to address climate change. Innovation, creativity, and
entrepreneurial talent—all in abundant supply within our business community—are
essential to success. The relationships employers have with their customers,
partners, and employees are crucial to communicating the information needed to
effect positive change.
About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch is a leading global engineering, consulting and construction
company specializing in infrastructure development in energy, water,
telecommunications, management consulting, federal and environmental markets.
Founded in 1915, Black & Veatch develops tailored infrastructure solutions
that meet clients’ needs and provide sustainable benefits. Solutions are
provided from the broad line of service expertise available within Black &
Veatch, including conceptual and preliminary engineering services, engineering
design, procurement, construction, financial management, asset management,
program management, construction management, environmental, security design and
consulting, management consulting and infrastructure planning. With $3.2
billion in revenue, the employee-owned company has more than 100 offices
worldwide and has completed projects in more than 100 countries on six
continents. The company’s Web site address is www.bv.com.
Media Contact:
George Minter
913-458-8001
minterga@bv.com
24-hour Media Line:
1-866-496-9149