Design:
What are my options for becoming more green?

Most companies find that there are multiple options available to improve their environmental performance. Typically, ICF’s energy management programs, for example, help customers reduce their overall monthly energy costs by five to seven percent while a number of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions programs have helped clients evaluate and purchase carbon offsets to achieve carbon neutrality.

ICF's experts help companies navigate these options through:

Green Program Options and Prioritization

Achieving reductions in energy consumption and/or environmental impact can be accomplished in many ways. Some companies may choose to simply purchase carbon offsets, while others may opt to undertake an array of performance improvement programs.

There are hundreds of options available, ranging from some simple tactics (swapping out regular light switches for motion controlled switches or adjusting the office temperature settings on the weekends) to strategic tactics (deciding to host green corporate events or purchasing from alternative energy sources). Regardless of the strategy a company chooses, there are various paths to achieve the same end goal, each with its own set of pros, cons and financial metrics.

ICF works with clients to prioritize the best set of performance improvement options available to them. This includes:

  • Developing an understanding of the company's budget
  • Assessing the desired level of reduction
  • Determining the willingness to change
  • Prioritizing the available options based on ease of implementation and cost to implement
  • Assessing competitive and market trends

Likewise, ICF employs a number of proprietary models to calculate the various impacts different options and scenarios may have toward achieving the final reduction goal. In the end, a set of strategic recommendations is delivered with as much quantitative proof as possible as to the expected results and costs to implement the recommended programs.

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Green Business Implementation Roadmap

Once a company decides on the projects it will undertake, ICF helps design a detailed implementation roadmap for those projects. The roadmap includes step-by-step project plans, as well as specific requirements for the resources, vendors, and funding that will be necessary for the projects to succeed.

Often, these projects can be designed to be executed simultaneously, though sometimes companies prefer to take a staggered approach, evaluating the impact of each initiative individually, before undertaking the next one. The realities are that improved environmental performance is not a one-time event or something that happens over a month or two—it is an iterative program that entails continuous improvement over time.

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Environmental Data Tracking Capability Design

To capture, measure, and report on the status and effectiveness of the performance improvement programs, ICF works with clients to define the organization's tracking capability requirements. Based on an assessment, the optimal solution may require additional data capture tools, new processes, or new reporting mechanisms.

Defining the technical roadmap is as important as defining the strategic objectives for each program, and ultimately, a core requirement for the program's success. Without being able to effectively measure, and therefore substantiate the energy savings and environmental impact reductions, there is risk that the program will fall short of the desired goals.

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