Over 100 Leading Organizations Tap EDF Climate Corps to Catalyze Energy Savings

(New York, N.Y. — May 21, 2013) Today, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) kicks off its sixth and largest season of EDF Climate Corps, an innovative fellowship program that places specially trained graduate students in companies, cities and universities to save energy, money and the environment.

This summer, EDF will place 116 Climate Corps fellows in 106 organizations. New participants such as Apple, Colgate-Palmolive, General Motors, and the cities of Austin and Philadelphia will join returning hosts including AT&T, Facebook, PepsiCo, New York City Housing Authority and Chicago Public Schools.

“Leading energy management practices in our operations is a key pillar of GM’s sustainability strategy, and EDF Climate Corps will provide a fresh perspective that can enhance our energy efficiency efforts,” said Mike Robinson, vice president of sustainability and global regulatory affairs for General Motors. “EDF Climate Corps will build upon our work and help develop a business case to maximize the environmental and economic benefits.”  

Since its launch in 2008, EDF Climate Corps has uncovered more than $1.2 billion in total energy savings for participating organizations, finding an average of $1 million in savings at each one. In terms of reducing carbon emissions, these savings are equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road each year.  

EDF Climate Corps recruits students from the nation’s top graduate programs to accelerate adoption of smart energy management practices in participating organizations. The findings of these EDF Climate Corps fellows are often scalable solutions that take organizations’ energy management efforts to the next level.  

“In our fourth summer participating in EDF Climate Corps, the program has become a trusted and invaluable resource for AT&T where EDF Climate Corps fellows play a critical role supporting in the building and implementation of our enterprise-wide system for energy efficiency,” said John Schinter, executive director of energy at AT&T. “There is always more to do, which is why we keep coming back.” The leading U.S. communications company has hired five fellows since 2010, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in energy savings.  

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings consume 70 percent of electricity in the U.S. and account for over a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. EDF created Climate Corps to catalyze immediate reductions in emissions from buildings by breaking down the barriers that keep organizations from capturing the economic and environmental benefits of energy efficiency.  

“Despite projections of more than $1.2 trillion in energy savings available to the U.S. economy, many organizations are still missing the opportunity to grow their profits through effective energy management,” said Victoria Mills, managing director of EDF Climate Corps. “EDF Climate Corps is designed to seize the financial and environmental rewards of energy efficiency, while putting in place the energy management practices that deliver systemic and lasting reductions in costs and emissions.”  

See the full list of organizations and fellows participating in EDF Climate Corps. For more information, please visit edfclimatecorps.org.