“Throwing down a challenge is an infallible way of appealing to people of spirit,” wrote Dale Carnegie in “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” a 1936 top-selling book on leading to success.
Times and topics have changed, but this appeal tactic remains steadily successful. Just ask Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, who today issued a challenge that he hopes “will make Colorado a world leader in energy efficiency and clean-tech innovations.”
The plan, officially titled the Colorado Industrial Energy Challenge, is an effort to slash the energy use of Colorado business whose annual utility bills exceed $200,000. The challenge is voluntary, but so far Ritter has appealed to the spirit of the following thirteen companies looking to scale back emissions and make Colorado a model state in energy efficiency:
- Amgden
- Aspen Skiing Co.
- Avago Technologies
- Crested Butte Mountain Resort
- Encana
- Frito-Lay
- MillerCoors
- New Belgium Brewing Co.
- Roche Colorado Corp.
- Rocky Mountain Bottle Co.
- Rocky Mountain Metal Container
- Sandoz
- Woodward
A number of different government entities are chipping it to make the challenge possible. The Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) is sponsoring the challenge by way of a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project will be coordinating the project, and Colorado State University’s Industrial Assessment Center will be giving the companies technology assistance. The companies who joined the challenge will receive the assistance for free.
By joining the competition, the thirteen companies have agreed to report their energy progress back to the state government every year. In the future, Ritter hopes to see more Colorado companies join up and rise to the challenge.
