Carlisle LLC, a local company that owns and operates Wendy's restaurants, has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its decarbonization efforts.
Carlisle LLC was one of 26 companies that hit the Better Buildings initiative's goals in the commercial sector. The company was able to reduce its power usage by 21% and its water usage by 28%. Carlisle LLC has over 160 Wendy’s restaurant locations in the Southeastern U.S., per its website.
"[Carlisle] joined in 2016 with a commitment to a 20% reduction by 2026 so they actually met their energy goal early," said Maria Vargas, director of the DOE's Better Buildings initiative.
Nike, Harley Davidson, and Cleveland Clinic are other notable companies in the challenge that achieved carbon reduction goals via reductions in emissions, power, or wastewater use.
Vargas told MBJ that part of the reason for the initiative was to create playbooks for other companies looking to decarbonize or even just reduce resource usage to save money. She said that by sharing how other companies have achieved the goals, it could help others do the same without facing as daunting a task.
"One of the biggest things we're able to do is get solutions out to the market, and we do that through the Better Buildings Solution Center," she said. "It is the opportunity for any end user across the U.S. economy to go [to the website] and to type in the barrier, the challenge that they have, and to figure out who else has overcome that."
The challenge isn't just for commercial real estate users. The website has also compiled solutions for the education, multifamily, and health care sectors, and more.
"The Better Buildings initiative is really about organizations that are leading. They're really de-risking and demonstrating that it's possible," Vargas said. "I think that whenever it comes to greater efficiency or decarbonizing across the U.S. economy, that's the biggest thing I hear, 'I don't want to be first. It's risky.' The reason that folks at Carlisle deserve recognition is because they did it, and they're saving money. They're being more economically competitive, and it's a really nice role model for other partners or organizations."
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