ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
AVANGRID’s aggressive sustainability goals have captured the attention of industry peers, investors and customers. In addition to our goal to be Scope 1 carbon neutral by 2035, we have defined a set of goals to reduce the environmental impact of our facilities.
• 25% reduction in carbon footprint by 2030
• 50% more green energy by 2030
• 50% fewer tons of paper used AVANGRID is committed to recycling waste, managing resources and reducing the amount of harmful emissions in our facilities and service territories.
FLEET
AVANGRID has pledged to integrate Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and Electric Vehicles (EVs) into the fleet to assess their capabilities in different vocations and geographical regions. In 2020, SCG received their first two EVs, and Berkshire Gas Company received its first, all being used in a daily field work capacity. AVANGRID also launched our Clean Fleet Project with very aggressive green fleet targets, the most prominent of which is 60% of the fleet being clean energy by 2030. 2020 also welcomed to RG&E an industry-leading, full-size EV backhoe. Development of the unit from concept to delivery has been a multi-year project, and the unit was on site and ready for construction season. To assist in increasing and encouraging the purchase and use of PHEVs and EVs, AVANGRID has installed charging stations at multiple company locations – allowing employees to charge their PHEV or EV at no cost.
WASTE
We are excited to continue our drive toward the Sustainable Office, now in our second year. The program aims to increase recycling and reduce waste. For example, we have eliminated all Styrofoam containers from our seven cafeterias and have replaced them with environmentally friendly products, compostable wares and other recycled products. Many products such as cups containing eggs, yogurt and fruit look like clear plastic but are made from “green ware” made from plants. Looking to the future, our cafeteria service will be running promotions on the use of reusable coffee cups to further reduce waste, along with the installation of LED lights. Post-COVID-19, other efforts will transition away from paper towels to hand dryers in restrooms and community recycling facilities.
