As Economy Sees Red, Cox AZ Embraces Green

Solar Panels, Digital Ballasts, Water Conservation Among Environmental Effort

A few weeks into the new year, the abysmal economy only seems to be getting worse. On Jan. 27, The Conference Board reported the lowest levels of consumer confidence on record and some of the steepest drops in home prices ever seen. That news came one day after several high-profile companies — including Sprint Nextel Corp., Texas Instruments, Home Depot and Caterpillar — axed nearly 60,000 jobs combined. So at a time when everyone seems to be cutting spending, watching a major cable operator pat itself on the back for installing pricey solar panels, trading out gas-powered vehicles for hybrids and even switching standard light bulbs for the more expensive compact fluorescents was a breath of fresh air.

Cox Communications-Arizona this week rolled out a new conservation program that not only saves costs and the environment, but also promises to add much-needed jobs in the Grand Canyon State. It’s a model utilities regulators are praising and even helping to fund.

On Jan. 22, research firm Ovum released a report that found “going green” ranks high on telecom providers’ list of priorities. Pro-environmental measures do more than make people feel good — they also reduce expenses and improve brand perception, said Sally Banks, senior analyst of telco operations at Ovum. Admittedly, implementing green policies is expensive. However, “the benefits far outweigh these initial costs in terms of both financial savings and revenue-generating opportunities, as well as helping to prevent climate change,” Banks wrote. For example, service providers, Banks said, can reduce global carbon emissions by up to 2 percent when they go green.

That’s just what Cox is aiming to do. At its Phoenix headquarters, the operator has placed solar panels on parking structures to power 25 percent of one of its largest buildings. Plus, the call center division now features digital ballasts that harvest daylight, thereby dimming internal lights. Together, those two projects will decrease Cox Arizona’s carbon dioxide output by 739,000 pounds. So far, Cox Arizona has spent more than $1 million on its green strategy — money it considers well spent.

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