NYSE Euronext (NYX) announced today that it has achieved carbon-neutral status for the second year in a row, again making it the only global exchange operator to do so. NYSE Euronext earned the distinction through company-wide energy efficiency measures as well as the purchase of renewable energy credits (RECs) and carbon offsets (COs).
"Achieving carbon-neutral status for a second year means we are delivering on our commitment to run our business as efficiently as possible and protect the global environment in which we operate," said Duncan L. Niederauer, CEO of NYSE Euronext. "These programs to mitigate our carbon impact and reduce our energy usage are a key component of our responsibility to our worldwide community."
Contributing to NYSE Euronext's carbon-neutral status in 2011 were such initiatives as the consolidation of its global data centers and its continued energy-efficiency evaluation and upgrade program, which included the installation of energy-efficient lighting fixtures and motion sensors.
This year's REC and CO purchases also helped make NYSE Euronext carbon-neutral for 2011. The company was also carbon neutral in 2010. The RECs, which are Green-e certified, and COs, which are Climate Action Reserve (CAR) Verified, are purchased retroactively; so that the company can measure how much energy was used and purchase the appropriate amount of certificates and offsets to match it.
National energy-efficiency and sustainability consulting firm CodeGreen Solutions brokered NYSE Euronext's REC and CO purchases. The RECs, purchased from Green Mountain Energy Company (a wholly owned subsidiary of NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG)), match the company's electricity usage during 2011. Each REC represents the generation of one megawatt-hour of electricity from 100-percent U.S. wind power. The carbon offsets, purchased from 3Degrees, a recognized leader in the field, represent one metric ton of carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions reduced or avoided and match the carbon emissions resulting from NYSE Euronext fuel consumption, fugitive emissions, and corporate travel.
NYSE Euronext's green-power and carbon-balancing commitment help avoid an estimated 79,250 metric tons of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. Using calculations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, this amount is equivalent to the CO2 emissions generated from burning 184,302 barrels of oil, or the emissions from the use of electricity at 9,882 average homes, or the carbon absorbed annually by 16,898 acres of pine or fir forests, or the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 15,539 passenger vehicles.
In September 2011, NYSE Euronext was named for a second consecutive year to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the Carbon Disclosure Project's S&P 500 Leadership Index. The company's scores in both indexes improved year-over-year, as detailed in this press release.. In addition, this video describes NYSE Euronext's various environmental-sustainability programs.