Staples Announces Energy Conservation and Renewable Power Achievements (4/4/11)

News Release Staples Announces Energy Conservation and Renewable Power Achievements US EPA Names Staples a 2011 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year; Company Increases Use of Renewable Power to 53 Percent of Total US Electricity Consumption

Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) announced today several major achievements in energy conservation and renewable power, reflecting the company's long-standing focus on sustainability in its operations. Staples is being honored by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its leadership in energy efficiency and has increased its usage of renewable power to 53 percent of its total US electricity consumption.

Staples has been named a 2011 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in Energy Management by the EPA, recognizing the company's leadership in energy management and resulting reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Staples will receive the award at an April 12, 2011 ceremony in Washington D.C. More than 140 Staples facilities have received the ENERGY STAR, including retail stores, distribution centers and corporate offices. Staples has set an aggressive target to achieve the ENERGY STAR at 500 facilities by the end of 2012.

Staples has also been named an ENERGY STAR Leader by the EPA for reducing energy consumption by more than 11 percent across its facilities. ENERGY STAR Leaders are recognized for reducing energy consumption by at least 10 percent across a portfolio of buildings, based on EPA's standardized tools for tracking energy use. Staples was first recognized by the EPA for energy efficiency in 1999 as the Green Lights Partner of the Year, and was the first non-grocery retailer to be recognized as an ENERGY STAR Leader.

For renewable power usage, Staples has reached a milestone of using renewable power sources for 53 percent of its total US electricity consumption, more than double the company's previous level. Sourced from wind energy projects and solar installations, Staples now uses more than 330 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy, the equivalent of powering more than 31,000 average US homes for a year. In addition, the company reached a milestone of using more than 25 million kilowatt hours of solar energy since 2005 from 34 solar arrays that Staples installed with SunEdison. The installations include a 2 Megawatt solar array in Secaucus, New Jersey and a 1.5 Megawatt array in Hagerstown, Maryland, among the largest in each state. The power from these renewable sources is used across the company's facilities, including Staples retail stores, delivery fulfillment centers, customer service call centers and sales offices.

"Energy conservation has been part of a comprehensive energy management program at Staples since the early days of the company," said John Lynch, senior vice president of construction and facilities, Staples. "We're honored to be recognized by the EPA for our commitment to continuous improvement in energy management. At Staples, we combine energy efficiency technologies and aggressive energy efficiency strategies with renewable power use to reduce costs and minimize greenhouse gas emissions throughout our day-to-day operations."

According to the EPA, ENERGY STAR was introduced by the EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants associated with energy use. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 kinds of products as well as new homes and buildings. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $18 billion on their utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas equivalent to those of 34 million cars. Products, homes and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR prevent emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. For more information, go to www.energystar.gov.

Staples has a long-standing commitment to sustainable business practices including computer recycling, ink and toner recycling, offering a wide assortment of products with various environment-sensitive attributes, investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy and educating customers and associates about these efforts. For more on Staples' environmental initiatives, please visit www.staples.com/environment.

Staples is the world's largest office products company and a trusted source for office solutions. The company provides products, services and expertise in office supplies, copy & print, technology, facilities and breakroom, and furniture. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and now has annual sales of $25 billion, ranking second in the world in eCommerce sales. With 90,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, making it easy for businesses of all sizes, and consumers. The company is headquartered outside Boston. More information about Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com/media.

If Staples wants to use electric delivery trucks then more power to them, assuming they’re paying the freight all on their own with no subsidy. I doubt they’re unsubsidized, though. The numbers don’t work otherwise.

The numbers are shaky in many instances even with with the subsidies. My house is over fifteen years old, so the original systems are wearing out and needing replacement one by one. I’m not at all opposed in principle to various alternative energy sources and in fact want to see them succeed, but not at the expense of the public treasury. Solar panels, very costly for decent ones that don’t have a high fail rate, couldn’t make the math work even with the various incentivesmand credits. Geothermal heat pump, same thing. Even high SEER heat pumps that qualify for incentives, the numbers don’t hold up to scrutiny.

It’s going to have to rely upon higher income individuals who buy such systems for other reasons, until economies of scale and technological advances bring it further along, and bring it into parity with existing methods and systems.

Such reasons are not always “green,” it can mean independence from the grid and the just-in-time logistics that will become a nightmare in the even of a large scale disaster, it can mean convenience depending upon circumstance, it can honestly mean any number of things that don’t have the least bit of association with nonsensical global warming or carbon footprint concerns.

There are several private companies scattered across the country, that are taking high quality Beck Speedsters and 550 Spyders, which are very high quality reproductions of the Porsche originals, and fitting them with state of the art electric drive systems. I’d love to have one, zero to sixty in less than six seconds, manual transmission, actually better handling due to better weight distribution and lower center of gravity ... just a very cool little commuter car, 100 mile range, about $3.00 per day to recharge.

They’re pushing $50k though. Jack Rickard in suburban St. Louis, Duke’s Garage in Westminster, CO, An outfit in Bremen, Indiana whose name eludes me but is actually affiliated with Beck, nice, nice little cars. Status symbols, a blast to own and drive.

I’d buy one in a heartbeat if my circumstance allowed.

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