Southern Company Gas 2022 Sustainability Executive Summary Final 4.19.23 - Flipbook - Page 15
Case Study
Air Quality
At Southern Company Gas, our environmental efforts
extend beyond GHG emissions to promote healthy air
quality. By reducing our operational combustion
emissions, replacing older infrastructure and reducing
leaks in the process, Southern Company Gas is helping to
improve air quality and positively impact the quality of
life in local communities.
Since natural gas can be used as a clean alternative
vehicle fuel, we are reducing the air quality impacts of
petroleum-based fuel consumption in transportation.
Compared with diesel and gasoline, natural gas can reduce
emissions of common urban pollutants, such as nitrogen
oxides (NOX), by up to 95%.
Waste
Southern Company Gas is committed to reducing the waste
produced in our operations. In 2022, Nicor Gas partnered
with Rheaply, an organization helping companies advance
a circular economy, to implement a pilot equipment
exchange program. Through the Rheaply platform, Nicor
Gas connects an ecosystem of businesses and nonprofit
organizations to enable the exchange and reclamation of
Nicor Gas Invests
in Conservation
supplies and equipment, such as PPE or HVAC equipment.
Through the pilot, this equipment can be effectively reused
In August 2022, Nicor Gas announced it will
instead of discarded in a landfill. The program has diverted
provide $52,000 in environmental stewardship
nearly 10,000 pounds of waste from landfills as of January
grants for organizations and nonprofits
2023. We are expanding the pilot to Georgia in 2023.
committed to providing equitable access
to natural green spaces and enhancing
We also help our customers reduce their waste through
sustainability activities that make a
digital billing statements. In 2022, over 1.2 million customers
meaningful impact. Through these grants,
opted to receive paperless billing, improving customer
Nicor Gas supported 11 organizations across
satisfaction and providing environmental benefits.
the company’s service territory in its
environmental initiatives, including:
By switching to paperless billing,
our customers used over 145
fewer tons of paper annually,
which offsets over 2.6 million
pounds of CO2e.[1]
·
Chicago Horticultural Society/Chicago
Botanic Garden: Supports conservation
and restoration of natural habitats
including tallgrass prairies, deciduous
woodlands and wetlands.
·
Nippersink Watershed Association:
Supports the rehabilitation of three islands
1 Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental
Paper Network Paper Calculator Version 4.0. For more information visit
www.papercalculator.org.
to enhance native habitats that will attract
pollinator species.
2022 Sustainability Executive Summary
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