ADOBE'S GREEN

Last fall, Business 2.0's Jeff Nachtigal wrote a terrific article (also picked up in Fortune) about San Jose's Adobe Systems Inc.'s efforts to run an environmentally-friendly operation.

You may recall my pledge last week to devote at least one post a month to global warming issues. So here's my first "Be Green" post of '07, focusing on a member of our own technology community.

In the Sept. article, Business 2.0 declared that Adobe is "The Greenest Office in America," and -- as Al Gore asserts in An Inconvenient Truth -- shows it is possible to do good and save money too. Sez B2.0: "Adobe has turned its headquarter into a towering example of environmentalism -- and is saving millions of dollars in the process."

Let's look at a couple examples:

* Automatic facets save water waste. Cost: $110K, annual savings: $24K.
* Waterless rinals cost about $35K, save almost $15K a year.
* Timed outages: For $150 bucks, (yes, only $150) the company reduced the operating hours of garage exhaust fans and outdoor lighting -- and saves $68K a year.
* Compact fluorescent lights cost $11K, and save $105K a year.
* All toxic janitorial supplies have been replaced with earth-friendly products. (Click on image to enlarge).
* Adobe offers secure bike parking -- and an $80/monthly subsidy -- to employees who do not drive to work.
* Motion sensors control lights.
* Composting -- containers hook onto trash cans to separate food waste from regular garbage. 

Adobe retrofitted its existing office towers (about 1 million sq. feet), and reduced its electricity use by about 35% and gas consumptoin by 41% (since 2001) -- despite increasing its headcount by 80%.  Adobe invested about $1.1 million in savings, including about $350K in energy rebates, reports B2.0.

The efforts did not go unnoticed. Last month, Adobe scored a third platinum award from the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council.

More on Adobe's environment accomplishments:

San Jose Mercury News: "Platinum is the New Green," by Katherine Conrad.

Photo of Adobe's janitorial service: William Porter, Business 2.0.