Chile embraces sustainability in construction

Ikea U.S. is doubling down on its commitment to become a climate positive business. The retailer is launching two initiatives that align with its goal to increase on-site renewable energy, increase energy effiency and eliminate the use of fossil fuels from its operations. The initiatives include a solar installation project that is adding solar car parks, additional rooftop solar panels and battery energy storage systems to six Ikea stores and one fulfillment center. The other is a large-scale renewable heating and cooling (RHC) project to replace and optimize existing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. The project will start with five stores in 2023.

Efforts to reduce water use, use energy efficiently and streamline resources used to ship products across the U.S. earned employees and GP facilities a variety of awards from the EPA. Georgia-Pacific facilities received several awards and certifications, including the ENERGY STAR® Top Project for 2020, an ENERGY STAR® Certification, the SmartWay Excellence Award and a 2020 Energy Star Challenge Achiever for Industry by the EPA. Georgia-Pacific’s Brewton Containerboard mill has been named a 2020 Energy Star Challenge Achiever for Industry by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a program developed by the agency to recognize individual facilities for volunteering to reduce energy intensity by 10% within five years.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI), our National member from North America, recently announced grants for 19 projects to help further understanding of the conservation benefits of managed forests, and to strengthen the connection between communities and forests. The grants were made as part of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.’s Conservation and Community Partnership Grants Program. These grants represent collaborations between SFI Inc., SFI Program Participants, and partner organizations throughout North America. “Our conservation grants advance SFI’s long-standing commitment to forest research. These projects provide the science-based data that resource professionals need to improve forest management, and to assess the value of that work,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. “Our community grants represent SFI’s unique role at the intersection of sustainable forestry, responsible procurement and thriving communities. SFI engages local communities through a variety of initiatives including youth outreach, forest education programs, and green building projects for low-income families.”