Fitness First members appreciate its carbon-reduction efforts
Yet, despite its large geographic scope and the fact that some of its clubs are 25 years old, TSI is determined to significantly reduce its carbon footprint. In May, the com- pany officially launched its EcoSteps initiative, which it describes as a “fully integrated sustainability program.” The initiative’s primary goals are to reduce TSI’s energy usage by 20%, water consumption by 5%, and recyclable waste by 75% over the next three years. Having also worked with firms in the hotel/hospitality
and restaurant sectors, Buckbee understands and appre- ciates a critical implication. “Over the past 5-10 years, sustainability professionals and business executives have recognized that aligning their environmental efforts with their business goals produces benefits on both sides of the equation,” he says. “The discussion doesn’t just have to be about carbon; it can be about bottom-line savings, too.” As an example, he cites TSI’s energy consumption. “By
reducing the amount of electricity it’s using company-wide, TSI is also lowering its electricity bills.” To achieve both important objectives, TSI developed a lighting retrofit program that involved upgrading to more energy-efficient fixtures; the installation of energy-man- agement systems that monitor and regulate a facility’s energy consumption; and the implemen- tation of stricter conservation procedures. Of the latter, Buckbee says,
Bruce Buckbee
“We’re asking managers and staff to be sure to do all the things your parents nagged you to do when you were little: turn off the lights, close the doors, turn down the heat, close the windows. It may seem silly, but it’s really working!
Thus far, these small measures have already yielded a 5% reduction in consumption.” As part of its EcoSteps initiative, the company has intro-
duced energy-management systems at more than 60 clubs; completed lighting retrofits at 20 locations; implemented recycling programs at 100 clubs and its regional corporate offices; introduced Green Revolution power-generating fit- ness equipment; and installed an 80-kilowatt, photovoltaic solar platform at its Elmsford, New York, corporate office. Buckbee says TSI is currently on track to reach its 2010
energy-reduction goal. “If we hit the number we’ve set as our target, we expect it to represent significant savings for the company.” TSI then hopes to improve on its performance, with even greater reductions coming in 2011 and 2012.
U.K. - Setting a Carbon Standard Similarly, Fitness First, based in Dorset, England, has taken significant steps to minimize its carbon footprint; in fact, it’s already reduced the carbon emissions at its 160 U.K. clubs by 7% over the last three years. The company’s progress has been so impressive that, this spring, it became the first firm of its kind to be awarded the Carbon Trust Standard, the premier award in the U.K. for organi- zations that have achieved measurable progress toward environmental sustainability. “It’s a great achievement being the first fitness operator
to attain this standard, and it’s a credit to all of our staff in obtaining it,” notes Glyn Allen, the head of contracts for Fitness First. He also credits Suzanne Moyle and her team at Faros Engineering, Ltd., in Lancashire, England, who helped the chain achieve such significant energy savings. One of the most sweeping changes Fitness First made
was to install energy meters to measure consumption at all of its sites. “We were able to obtain the reduction because of those meters,” Allen explains. “We knew exactly
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ihrsa.org | OCTOBER 2010 | Club Business Internat ional 37
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