Car renter Enterprise to cut $50M in energy costs (St. Louis)

Car rental holding company Enterprise Holdings said Thursday it’s rolling out a sustainability initiative companywide to reduce both energy use and energy costs by 20 percent over the next five years.

The 20/20 Vision program began in select markets last year. The company said it expects the initiative to reduce energy costs by $50 million over the period.

Enterprise Holdings, which is the parent company of Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental, said it would use a combination of upfront investment in energy-saving technologies and conservation practices at its 7,600 neighborhood and airport-based facilities to achieve the savings.

Initial changes include using more energy-efficient lighting and energy-saving software tools at the company’s headquarters in St. Louis.

“Proactively reducing our energy use and natural resource consumption not only decreases our impact on the environment, but also will result in cost savings to ensure the sustainability of our business.” Lee Broughton, director of sustainability for Enterprise Holdings, said in a statement. “We are challenging our managers to look for smart, innovative ways to reduce our energy use and create systems for managing our energy consumption going forward.”

Enterprise Holdings said its environmental platform also includes a pledge to plant 50 million trees over the next 50 years; a fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles, FlexFuel vehicles and gas/electric hybrids; and the use of biodiesel fuel in its Alamo, Enterprise and National airport shuttle buses.

Read the full story in the St. Louis Business Journal.