Over 2,500 solar panels on our Montpelier, VT campus, 500kw on our back field and 73kw on our roof provides nearly 15 percent of the main office power demand during summer months.
Our primary winter heating system is fueled by locally sourced woodchips, which saves 200,000 gallons of fuel oil and the associated 2,240 tons of carbon emissions per year. A solar hot water system supplies about half of the hot water used in our Vermont office.
Food scraps at our Vermont office are composted locally. Composting was implemented in 2009, six years before it was required by state law. The Vermont office recycles much of it waste. Less than half of the waste leaving our facility goes to landfill.
National Life offers incentives for those who walk, bike, carpool, or take public transit to work through our Alternate Transportation Program. Ten percent of our employees participate in this program, helping to eliminate over 50,000 miles per month of single occupancy vehicle travel.
Vegetables from our company garden are donated to local food pantries, and we host a 2-acre community garden on our property for local residents.