UTC Building & Industrial Systems Celebrates 45th Anniversary of Earth Day

FARMINGTON, Conn., April 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On Earth Day's 45^th anniversary, UTC Building & Industrial Systems is proud to recognize 45 of its top sustainability accomplishments in support of the day's mission to ensure a sustainable planet for future generations. UTC Building & Industrial Systems is the world's largest provider of building technologies, and is a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX)

A focus on sustainability and preserving natural resources has endured as a guiding principle at UTC Building & Industrial Systems, as its industry-leading brands have often been the first to reach new milestones in sustainability, whether developing efficient, new products, building green factories or enhancing operations.

"We're proud of our sustainability achievements," said John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer, UTC Building & Industrial Systems. "But these achievements aren't just about what we do on our own. Our best accomplishments stem from sharing what we know with the world through education, training, research and partnerships."

Among the organization's top 45 sustainability accomplishments are significant advancements since Earth Day 2014, such as the inaugural World Cold Chain Summit to Reduce Food Waste convened by United Technologies and Carrier. The event, held in London, brought together 65 economists, engineers, journalists and stakeholders in the cold chain industry from 12 countries to engage in a spirited discussion of strategies for preventing food loss and waste. United Technologies and Carrier also supported the formation of the Global Food Cold Chain Council at the special United Nations Climate Summit 2014. The Global Food Cold Chain Council brings together refrigeration system manufacturers, food suppliers, ocean and road transportation providers and food retailers to accelerate the transition to energy-efficient transportation and stationary refrigeration systems using lower global warming refrigerants.

"It's critical to invest in the cold chain," said Mandyck. "One third or more of our global food supply is wasted. That's food that never makes it from the farm to fork, decaying in fields before harvest, spoiling in poor transportation conditions or lost in markets before people can purchase. If we can preserve more food, we can waste less and feed more with the food supply we have readily available."

According to a recent study by University of Nottingham, India loses as much as 20 to 50 percent of all perishable food due to an inadequate or non-existent cold chain. Offering a refrigerated transport solution, Carrier Transicold India introduced its Citifresh™ range of fresh-only truck refrigeration units in 2014. These units are uniquely designed to meet India's growing demand for food transport on refrigerated trucks.

UTC Building & Industrial Systems also creates energy-efficient technologies and building solutions to meet the accelerating global demand for green buildings. NORESCO, an energy services business of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, was selected for a $43 million energy savings performance contract for Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, one of the U.S. Army's largest training centers. The project includes upgrades to energy management control systems, reducing energy use intensity by 17 percent and water usage by 12 percent.

Also in 2014, Carrier's CO₂OLTec^® refrigeration system surpassed 1,000 installations in Europe. The CO₂OLTec system uses the natural refrigerant CO₂ and fully integrates refrigeration, heating and cooling systems, delivering up to 35 percent energy savings while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 58 percent. 

Additionally, UTC Building & Industrial Systems supported a study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy on ways energy-efficient elevators can significantly reduce the costs of operating a building. Elevators and escalators make up 2 to 5 percent of the energy used in most buildings, but can reach as high as 50 percent during peak operational times. Technology exists today to reduce that consumption by 40 percent or more, as proven in the Otis Gen2^® series of elevators. The Gen2 features regenerative ReGen^® drives that save energy created by the elevator, feeding it back into a building's electrical grid. This results in a system that is up to 75 percent more efficient than conventional systems.

"We're committed to driving the green building movement with our energy-efficient building technologies," said Mandyck. "At the same time, we are advancing the global dialogue on food waste solutions. Each day, we set aggressive goals and improve on everything we do, focusing on making the world a better place to live today – and for generations to come."

For more information about UTC Building & Industrial Systems' sustainability accomplishments since Earth Day 2014, visit www.naturalleader.com/earth-day-2015; or, for a historical list of the organization's 45 sustainability achievements, visit @UTCBIS. For further information about sustainability initiatives, visit www.NaturalLeader.com or view our sustainability video at YouTube.com/UTCBIS.

About UTC Building & Industrial Systems
UTC Building & Industrial Systems is the world's largest provider of building technologies. Its elevator, escalator, fire-safety, security, building automation, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems and services promote integrated, high-performance buildings that are safer, smarter and sustainable. UTC Building & Industrial Systems is a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.BIS.UTC.com or follow @UTCBIS on Twitter.

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SOURCE UTC Building & Industrial Systems

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