NYSE Euronext (NYX) is the first global exchange operator to achieve carbon neutral status.
Earlier this year, NYX installed a solar system at its Basildon, England data center, the largest solar installation of its kind in the UK. The system will supply about 20% of its energy.
They are also involved in a variety of energy efficiency efforts, and announced today they would supplement that by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and Carbon Offsets (COs) that together neutralize the remaining environmental impact of its global operations.
Although buying certificates is controversial because it allows companies to avoid directly reducing their emissions, their sale supports renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction projects. NYX purchases Green-e certified offsets – which audits projects to ensure their authenticity.
This year’s purchase makes NYSE Euronext carbon-neutral for 2010. The RECs and COs are purchased retroactively – a company totals the energy used for the year and then purchases certificates to offset it.
NYX included its total carbon footprint in its energy calculation, ranging from electricity use to onsite generators, from vehicles to employee travel. The company says the project involved months of planning, assessment, measurement and verification.
NYSE Euronext was included last year in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Carbon Disclosure Project’s S&P 500 Leadership Index.
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Yeah, but what they DON’T tell you is that they do not keep sufficient hand towels in the men’s rooms, so we wind up drying our hands with toilet paper and toilet seat covers. The floors are not properly mopped at night, so the place winds up smelling like a homeless shelter of a third world country!
Carbon-Neutral or not, it’s just disgusting to work there!