Organization lowers operating costs through sustainability program

A recent Sarasota-based virtual event focused on how organizations can save money by implementing sustainability-related changes, from reducing water use to installing more efficient air conditioning units.

The event was part of the Partners for Green Places program, a collaboration between Sarasota County Sustainability, City of Sarasota Sustainability, the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the Selby Foundation. (Business Observer Managing Editor Mark Gordon moderated the virtual event.) 

Partners for Green Places provided grants to area nonprofits to reduce operational costs by upgrading energy and water systems. Sarasota-based Children First, a nonprofit that serves vulnerable children, was a pilot in the program. Children First looked at its energy bills and cost-per-square-foot for utilities and decided to focus on its facility in North Port, south Sarasota County. An energy audit examined the building, and a consultant developed an energy roadmap identifying potential investments that could result in savings.