Coke to Retrofit Atlanta Headquarters with $3M in Green Upgrades
On Friday, Coca-Cola announced that it would work in cooperation with Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute to cut energy consumption at its two million square foot corporate headquarters in Atlanta (image to the left) by twenty-three percent and water consumption by fifteen percent. Measures the company will take as part of the $3 million effort include the installation of energy-efficient lighting and air-conditioning equipment, rainwater harvesting, and irrigation control systems. Coke expects that the entire overhaul will be complete within the next eighteen months and help eliminate 10,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, as well as save over $1 million in annual operating costs.
While much of the initial buzz around green building has come from corporate HQ splashes like Four Times Square or the Hearst Tower here in New York, an increasing number of companies are demonstrating a similar, and no less important, commitment to sustainability by upgrading their existing facilities with green features that are both good for the environment and the company’s bottom line. Moreover, a company’s familiarity with its existing building systems allow it to monitor the new green systems as they come online and provide valuable experience and knowledge to share with other owners looking to retrofit green. Finally, as Coke, or any other owner that retrofits, monitors its subsequent use of utilities and (presumably) realizes substantial savings, the data becomes a powerful argument in favor of green when presented to more skeptical owners.
- Coke to Spend $3M to Combat Global Warming (Atlanta Biz Chronicle)
Category: Atlanta, Green Building, Green Energy, Other Locales
