Business News
NewPage Receives Environmental Stewardship Award for Lighting Project at Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, Mill
Tuesday 05. August 2008 - NewPage Corporation today announced that its Wisconsin Rapids Converting Facility has been honored with an Environmental Stewardship Award from Orion Energy Systems. After an extensive review of the facility's energy consumption in the second half of 2006, managers began working with Orion to find innovative and cost-effective ways to reduce energy waste and lessen the impact on the environment.
With the help of local contractor, VanErt Electric, a new high-efficiency, high intensity fluorescent (HIF) system was installed, replacing the older fixtures in the facility.
“NewPage is honored to receive this Environmental Stewardship award. The simple step of changing lighting aligns perfectly with our core value of doing what’s right for our employees and the environment. It saves energy, makes the work environment brighter and is more cost effective. It’s a win-win-win situation,” said Bernie Berger, manager of the NewPage Wisconsin Rapids Converting Facility.
By making this change, the facility dramatically displaced its energy usage by 2,257,778 kilowatt-hours per year. Besides the huge cost savings to be realized by the facility, the Environmental Impact Equivalent over the duration of the lighting fixtures’ lifetime, as estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency, is comparable to planting 414 acres of trees, removing 56,315 tons of airborne pollutants, or saving 3,736,171 gallons of gasoline.
Orion presents its awards annually to companies that achieve significant environmental benefits through use of their products and systems. Orion Energy Systems has deployed its energy management systems in 3,655 facilities across North America. Since 2001, its technology has displaced more than 334 megawatts and reduced indirect carbon dioxide emissions by 4.4 million tons, saving its customers more than $351 million.
“By presenting NewPage Corporation with our Environmental Stewardship Award, Orion wants to highlight the fact that this energy efficient lighting project was good for everyone — good for the bottom line at NewPage, good for their employees, good for their customers and good for the environment that we all share,” said Neal Verfueth, CEO of Orion Energy Systems. “That’s the way more things should go.”