Environmental Defense Fund Offers Energy Savings in Warehousing, Freight Operations

(New York, NY) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Climate Corps — an innovative fellowship program that has helped identify nearly $1.3 billion in potential energy savings for host companies since its inception in 2008 — has expanded to include logistics operations across the United States. EDF is seeking organizations with large logistics operations to host EDF Climate Corps fellows for the summer of 2014.

Signing up for EDF Climate Corps is a highly cost-effective way to save money, reduce waste and improve environmental performance; dividends that pay off year after year.

EDF Climate Corps’ expansion to logistics operations signals the increased interest in reducing energy use and carbon emissions linked to warehousing and commercial freight.

According to EDF Senior Manager Jason Mathers, who heads up the organization’s Green Freight initiative, EDF Climate Corps places top-tier graduate students at organizations to identify solutions that will help those organizations save money and energy.

EDF Climate Corps offers customized engagements, with each fellow hand-picked to meet the specific needs of his or her host organization. Over the course of 10 to 12 weeks, fellows develop specific, actionable plans, tailored to take the organization’s energy management program to the next level. To date, fellows have uncovered an average of $1 million in energy savings for each organization involved.

Beyond financial returns, organizations gain access to hundreds of top executives and elite graduate students in the powerful EDF Climate Corps Network, and benefit from Environmental Defense Fund’s 45 years of sustainability expertise.

“Projects that improve freight efficiency — for example by getting more goods on each truck and utilizing intermodal transport — improve environmental performance too. EDF Climate Corps fellows have a phenomenal track record discovering win-win solutions.” says Mathers. “We’re looking for major shippers and warehouse operators who want to benefit from the knowledge and enthusiasm these fellows bring to identifying win-win projects in the host companies’ logistics operations.”

EDF Climate Corps is now accepting applications from organizations with large freight or warehousing operations to host a Fellow in 2014. To learn more, visit www.edfclimatecorps.org or e-mail info@edfclimatecorps.org. See a full list of 2013 participants here.