‘A bett er Boeing, a bett er planet’ Boeing has significantly reduced its environmental footprint, even as business has grown By Patrick Summers As Annie Berry sat at her computer, busy with the many tasks she had to handle, she noticed that the air around her desk at the Douglas Center office complex in Long Beach, Calif., seemed chilly. But Berry, a staff analyst with Shared Services Group’s Site Services team, didn’t have to pick up the phone and notify someone in Facilities. Instead, she simply called up a Web page that lets her check if the temperature around her workspace is in the target range. The temperature was below the set target, so with a few mouse clicks and keystrokes she sent a quick note to Facilities. Within minutes, the ventilation system eased up on the amount of chilled air sent to the area around Berry’s desk. If Berry or other Douglas Center employees need to work after-hours, when lighting and the ventilation systems are shut off, they can use the same website to turn on the systems themselves. The ability to give Douglas Center employees visibility over their work environment lets employees make their workspaces more comfortable—and has helped the Long Beach site significantly reduce its energy use. Over the past five years, the Douglas Center cut its electricity use in half, natural gas by 76 percent and water intake by 25 percent. “Employees tell me how much they appreciate what we’re doing,” said Jeff Haberman, a Facilities engineer at the Douglas Center. “They like what the company is doing for the environment.’’ Ideas such as these have helped Boeing reduce the environmental impact of its factories and offices—even as the company experienced strong growth. In 2007, Boeing set five-year targets for reducing the environmental footprint of its operations. At the end of this 28 BOEING FRONT IERS / AUGUST 2013 PHOTOS: (This page, from top) At the Douglas Center office complex in Long Beach, Calif., Judie King touches a computer screen to check the temperature in her work area; Steve Ashford, left, and Jeff Haberman monitor a new, energy-efficient water chiller; Annie Berry and Larry Keene access a website that displays office environmental data such as temperature. Bob Ferguson/Boeing (Opposite page, from top) At Boeing South Carolina, Mandy Barron, from left, Rodney Wells and Kelsey Jennings use an environmentally responsible cleaning solvent. Alan Marts/Boeing Ryan Tomita adjusts an energy-efficient parking garage light in Everett, Wash. Coleen Pfeilschiefter/Boeing
Frontiers August 2013 Issue
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