In 2010, the Bartlett Area Chamber launched an innovative new energy efficiency service for its member companies that helps assess energy use, plan upgrades and implement action plans. In a two-year period, the chamber helped 43 companies implement efficiency projects valued at $5.5 million.

“Over and over again, we realized that most commercial buildings are wasting anywhere from 20 percent to 30 percent of their energy,” said Chamber CEO John Threadgill. 

WASHINGTON — Saying that energy efficiency represents the cheapest and fastest solution to meet the growing energy needs of America’s entrepreneurs, leaders of local chambers of commerce from around the country today urged the U.S. Senate to adopt the “Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013.”

“As business and community leaders with members throughout the country, we know firsthand the economic development benefits of clean energy, energy efficiency in particular,” the local chambers said in a letter from Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, an organization that represents more than 330 local chambers.

With an Ole Marine at its head, the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce's Team Green Zone is on a mission to help member companies cut their resource use. This innovative clean energy network brings in revenue for the chamber by performing energy benchmarks and assessments, developing efficiency action plans, and helping Tennessee businesses implement upgrades. In just over two years, the Bartlett Chamber's Team Green Zone has helped 43 companies benchmark their energy use and implement efficiency projects valued at $5.5 million.

By Aisling Maki, The Daily News

A public-private partnership called Team Green Zone, spearheaded by the Bartlett Area Chamber, is helping Mid-South businesses implement long-term sustainable practices to protect the environment while helping businesses boost their bottom lines.