Powering Down Around The Globe
By Brooks Jewell
The Time Warner Earth Day Power Down has truly gone global. In its second year, the power down event has spread to 19 countries and 69 locations world-wide, up from just six cities in the U.S. in 2013 (see image below, click to enlarge).
Sponsored by the Time Warner Energy Council, which was developed in 2012 to discover and implement energy-savings strategies and technologies, the power down requires participating buildings to turn off non-essential lighting and reduce services such as elevators and office equipment. The power down also compliments a wide array of Earth Day and Earth Month activities across the company, such as green markets, film screenings and energy-awareness initiatives.
"The energy team has leveraged its strategic-planning platform as a way to connect our global community of Time Warner properties, and there's a common desire across the enterprise to responsibly manage our energy consumption," said Steve Lefkowitz, Global Head of Facilities for Time Warner, who serves as executive sponsor for the Time Warner Energy Council. "The power down is a symbolic gesture, but it represents a very real commitment to reduce our carbon footprint and realize significant savings through smart and strategic use of our resources and emerging technology."
The energy council, which is made up of subject matter experts from each of the company's divisions - Warner Bros., HBO, Time Inc. and Turner, as well as Time Warner's Corporate Social Responsibility and Facilities departments - has established a roadmap for reducing energy use world-wide; secured savings opportunities through partnerships with internal and external stakeholders; and created a comprehensive means to benchmark and measure energy use building-by-building – a first for the enterprise.
The energy council is also sponsoring a new employee engagement platform focused on sustainability issues such as recycling and conserving resources like energy and water, at home and at the office. The new platform is part of a continuing effort to enlist employees in the company's energy-saving mission. It offers employees an opportunity to earn points, badges and engage in a healthy competition with co-workers by performing simple, habit-changing activities like turning off office lights at the end of the day, powering down printers and computers, or recycling glass and plastic.
"Twenty thousand employees use a lot of electricity. You’d be surprised how slight behavioral changes can reduce consumption, contain costs and further contribute to reducing our carbon footprint," Lefkowitz said, adding, "Today's technology has enabled us to capture the good intent of all Time Warner employees in a simple, fun and effective manner. We can do a lot as a large corporation but we can do even more if we engage our people to help us on this conservation journey."
Brooks Jewell is Associate Director, Corporate Communications, for Time Warner Inc.