Edmonton Company Wins Environmental Gold Again!
“Most people believe there’s no such thing as a free lunch. We want everyone to understand that energy efficiency is a free lunch you actually get paid to eat,” explains Eckhart Stoyke, founder of Carbon Busters, an Edmonton-based environmental consultancy. That kind of environmental thinking was one of the many factors that led to Carbon Busters recently being awarded Gold Champion Level reporting status by the Canadian GHG Challenge Registry, a partnership between the federal government and industry that recognizes businesses and organizations in Canada that do an especially good job of reporting their efforts in reducing internal levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon Busters, formerly known as Energy and Environmental Consulting (EEC), is an energy efficiency consulting company that has saved its clients over $24.5 million in utility costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents.
“We are the first environmental consultant in Alberta to receive this honour,” says Eckhart Stoyke. Carbon Busters’ innovative internal environmental practices allowed it to cut its power bill by over 90%, compared to the Canadian average. “We kept having to revise our annual utility budget downwards, after implementing our efficiency measures,” says Stoyke. Measures to save energy include motion sensors for lights in the photocopier room, using laptops instead of desktop computers, and replacing incandescent with compact fluorescent lights.
“But its not all technology,” says Stoyke. “Few people realize that there are many effective ways to save energy that don’t cost a penny.” Take lighting. “Using day lighting for office space, or adjusting excessive light levels, can easily cut power bills for lighting by 50% or more,” notes Stoyke. Furthermore, studies have shown that this change actually benefits workers’ health, and leads to productivity gains of up to 21%.
Saving energy in the office is not the only thing that Carbon Busters was recognized for by the federal registry. “We also have a reward system for employees who display environmentally friendly behaviour outside the office,” says Godo Stoyke, CEO of Carbon Busters. For example, about half of the company’s staff come to work by bike, or car-pool. Those who do, receive a $50 Mountain Equipment Co-op gift certificate for outdoor gear. “One cyclist, Claudia Bolli, was chased by a dog, another environmental educator, Michèle Elsen, had a close brush with a car,” he says. “It is obvious that our staff are motivated to contribute to environmental solutions beyond the financial rewards. Yet, rewarding and recognizing environmental behaviour makes a strong point.”
Before starting his own company, Eckhart Stoyke worked as an engineer for companies like Lufthansa and Shell, and as part of the energy audit team for Dow Chemical in Germany. Then, in 1981, he was offered the job as the sole energy consultant for the Edmonton Public School Board. His efforts there were recognized by the federal government and the Association of Energy Engineers with a top efficiency award.
He realized that his work had wide applicability outside Edmonton classrooms, and now offers his expertise to educational, institutional and industrial facilities across Canada and around the world.
With their award from the GHG Challenge Registry, Carbon Busters joins a prestigious list of Alberta award winners that includes companies such as Enbridge, Shell, and BP.
