Environmental Press Releases
September 1, 2009 (St. Louis) - Enterprise Holdings - the parent company of Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental - has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its
St. Louis Contact Center, the company's second LEED certified project.
The 81,000 square-foot space housing the contact center received LEED certification after it was renovated to promote improved employee health and reduce operating costs through energy and resource conservation.
"A key focus for us at Enterprise Holdings is increasing efficiency to better control costs and environmental impact and the LEED certification of our St. Louis Contact Center is indicative of our progress," said Lee Broughton, director of sustainability for Enterprise Holdings.
Located in St. Louis County near Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, the contact center processes reservations and roadside assistance calls from customers of Enterprise Holdings' three car rental brands. The LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
The LEED certified St. Louis Contact Center incorporates several environmentally friendly features that reduce the use of energy and other resources and decrease operating costs, including:
- Water-efficient faucets and low-flush toilets, reducing water use by 25 percent;
- HVAC systems that minimize energy consumption and ozone impact;
- Low-watt and indirect lighting that reduce lighting-power density by 31 percent; and lights that automatically switch off when unused.
Also factoring into the LEED certification were environmentally friendly steps Enterprise Holdings took during construction, such as purchasing carpeting, furniture, flooring and ceiling tiles made from 10 percent recycled materials. Additionally, Enterprise Holdings purchased the majority of materials for the space from local suppliers to minimize the environmental impact of transporting the materials to the site. And, to enhance employee comfort and health through improved air quality, the company utilized non-toxic sealants and installed air quality systems to monitor for and flush out high carbon dioxide levels. The facility also features a walking track to promote health awareness among its employees.
"Enterprise has been an early adopter of LEED and green building practices with their Fleet Management building and we're thrilled to see that commitment continue with the St. Louis Call Center," said Emily Andrews, executive director of the U.S. Green Building Council's St. Louis Regional Chapter. "Providing an efficient, healthy and comfortable workspace will benefit Enterprise employees and the environment, which seems like a win-win situation and exhibits Enterprise's commitment to their employees and the community."
This is Enterprise Holdings' second building to be recognized by the USGBC. In 2005, the Enterprise Fleet Services' Operations Center in Maplewood became LEED certified at the Silver level. Construction at that facility included retrofitting a 50-year-old, 30,000 square foot warehouse to include raised flooring, movable walls, zoned plug-and-play data and electrical, and an under-floor HVAC distribution system designed to lower utility requirements and provide better indoor air quality for employees.
"We're thankful that the U.S. Green Building Council recognized the green features of our St. Louis Contact Center, as well as our environmentally friendly construction process. We're also proud that these efforts served to create a healthier and more comfortable work environment for our employees," said Kenneth Kreh, vice president, Enterprise Holdings Contact Centers.
"These LEED certified projects underscore the company's commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable operations," Broughton said. Enterprise Holdings, which owns the Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental brands, has the industry's most comprehensive environmental sustainability platform, which includes:
- Embracing new, clean technologies - Enterprise added 5,000 gas/electric hybrids to its fleet earlier this year, doubling the number of hybrids in its fleet and deploying them across nearly 100 newly designated "hybrid branches" in 30 markets across the U.S. In addition to the focus on hybrids, Enterprise has designated eight "E85/FlexFuel" branches where as much as 30 percent of the local fleets are FlexFuel vehicles capable ofusing E85 (a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. In addition, Enterprise fuels those vehicles from nearby E85 fueling stations.
- The world's largest fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles - Nearly 450,000 cars in the combined Alamo, Enterprise and National fleet average a highway fuel efficiency rating of at least 28 mpg or better; nearly 230,000 average 32 mpg or better and nearly 425,000 have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay certification mark - a distinction the EPA grants to vehicles that emit relatively low levels of both regulated pollutants and greenhouse gases such as CO2.
- Customer Carbon Offsets - Alamo, Enterprise and National customers can offset the CO2 emissions of their rental cars by opting to pay $1.25 per rental to fund certified offset projects through TerraPass. The company's charitable foundation will match customer contributions dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million. In the first year, the carbon offset program generated $440,000 and offset 42,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
- Research - In 2007, the company's owners, the Taylor family of St. Louis, donated $25 million to create the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, where top scientists are working on alternatives to finite fossil fuels by finding new ways to create fuel from renewable, reliable plant sources.
- Conservation - The company's charitable foundation has pledged $50 million to plant 50 million trees over 50 years through the 50 Million Tree Pledge, a public/private/nonprofit partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service. Trees are being planted on public lands in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
All told, over the past several years Enterprise Holdings and the Taylor family have contributed or pledged more than $120 million to environmental initiatives. For more information about the full environmental platform, visit www.keystogreen.com.
About Enterprise Holdings
With industry-leading rental car brands including Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental, Enterprise Holdings owns and operates the largest fleet of passenger vehicles in the world today - more than 1 million cars and trucks. Other Enterprise Holdings business lines include Enterprise Fleet Management, Enterprise Commercial Trucks, Enterprise Car Sales and WeCar car sharing.
Ranked No. 21 on the Forbes Top 500 Private Companies in America list, Enterprise Holdings is North America's largest rental car company. Headquartered in St. Louis, Enterprise Holdings operates a network of more than 8,000 car rental locations in neighborhoods and at airports worldwide and is the most comprehensive service provider in the industry, unparalleled in size, strength and stability. In North America, Enterprise Holdings is part of a global strategic alliance with Europcar, creating the world's largest car rental network. For more information about Enterprise Holdings, visit www.enterpriseholdings.com.
About USGBC
The U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 78 local affiliates, more than 20,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 131,000 LEED Accredited Professionals, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to soar to $60 billion by 2010. The USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.
Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39 percent of CO2 emissions, 40 percent of energy consumption, 13 percent water consumption and 15 percent of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85 percent of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.
For more information, contact:
Meghan Maguire, Enterprise Rent-A-Car 314-512-2040 meghan.maguire@erac.com
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