What it means to ‘go green’ for an electrical contractor with a national footprint

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - April 22, 2015 - PRLog -- For the past 45 years, America has celebrated Earth Day to help better the environment and according to the Earth Day Network, more than one billion people are involved in Earth Day activities each year. As we see green pastures, orange groves, and vacant land turn into shopping plazas, gas stations, and townhomes, it’s important to question how exactly these developments are impacting our environment and if there was a similar thought behind their existence.

Florida-based national electrical contractor, Power Design, Inc., which practices green building across the country through multi-family developments as well as green internal employee practices and community initiatives, is contributing to Earth Day awareness this year and urges fellow businesses to get involved.

What’s it like to build ‘green’? “The LEED and Energy Code requirements have made the lighting power density an extremely important part of achieving energy compliance,” said Luis Vargas, professional engineer at Power Design.  “Our designers, project managers and every facet of the team work diligently with architects, interior designers, owners, general contractors, and energy consultants to select the most cost and energy efficient options while maintaining a high-quality aesthetic design.” Power Design currently has more than 40 projects underway that are striving for LEED certification, which is the construction industry’s green building standard.

How does a company with more than 700 employees go green? “When we formalized our values in 2007, there was a clear way for us to tie in green practices”, says Power Design’s VP of Business Development, Lauren Permuy. “Our employees facilitate the V5 program, where scrap metal collected at our jobsites is turned in for cash instead of wasted. Those funds are then put into a rolling charity account by which we support local and national non-profit organizations.” Since inception, the V5 initiative has raised more than $600,000 for charitable causes. “We also encourage our employees to participate in green causes,” says Permuy. “For example we partner with The Florida Aquarium yearly to help plant sea oats at our local beaches and will continue to support their environmental efforts.”

What do you suggest other businesses do to go green? “Being aware of more environmentally-friendly choices,” says Dayle Bradley, property manager at Power Design. “At our office for example we utilize energy-efficient light fixtures, occupancy sensors, and car-charging stations. It’s time for everyone to consider these options and reduce our carbon footprints on Earth Day and for the remainder of the year.”

Just a few examples of how Power Design’s projects ‘go green’; 2400 Nueces, a high-rise student living building in Austin, Texas was awarded several prestigious recognitions for its ‘green power’. The building earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification and the Austin Energy Green Building four stars status as well.