Walt Disney World Wins 2006 Florida Energy Achievement Award

Jan. 24, 2007

By FSEC Staff

Walt Disney World’s “Strive for Five” energy reduction program has won the second-annual Florida Energy Achievement Award.

The award is presented by the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center to a company, organization or individual that has made a significant achievement in the efficient use of energy, energy conservation, energy education or renewable energy in Florida.

“Choosing the winner of this year's competition was especially hard because we had a number of high-quality applications from private companies and utilities who are conducting energy-saving programs in the state and achieving significant results,” said Jim Fenton, director of FSEC. “Our committee felt, though, that Disney's innovative, company-wide program designed to reduce overall energy consumption by 5 percent by involving everyone from management to cast members stood out because of its wide impact as well as its individual components.”

Disney’s program includes a Web-based Utility Report Card distributed monthly with data on energy use, including comparisons between individual Disney areas. That approach helped to foster a spirit of competition among area managers. Disney also has an Energy Star Team that meets monthly to share and discuss best practices.

“Not only are they meeting their energy-saving goals and getting their employees motivated to save energy in their homes, but they are making this program an integral part of their management goals and using creative programs to make it successful,” Fenton said. “I hope that their work inspires other companies in the state to make energy-saving an integral part of their work."

The first Florida Energy Achievement Award was presented in 2005 to Sarasota County government for its many programs that reduce organizational energy use, conserve water, and provide support to other agencies and businesses in that community.

Companies, organizations and individuals interested in applying for the 2007 award should visit www.fsec.ucf.edu this fall for details and an application.

The Florida Solar Energy Center, a research institute of the University of Central Florida, is the largest and most active state-supported energy research center in the country. Current research activities include solar water and pool heating, solar electric and distributed generation systems, energy-efficient buildings, alternative transportation systems, hydrogen fuel and fuel cells. For more information, visit www.fsec.ucf.edu or call the FSEC Public Affairs Office at 321-638-1015.