This is one of the odder press releases I’ve seen in a while:
St. Paul Travelers will hold an unveiling ceremony to celebrate its new ENERGY STAR label, awarded through a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy. A plaque commemorating the designation will be unveiled at the Hartford campus of St. Paul Travelers by representatives of the EPA, Connecticut Insurance Department, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, the City of Hartford, and St. Paul Travelers. The ENERGY STAR label distinguishes St. Paul Travelers’ Hartford buildings as among the most energy efficient in the United States. The event also serves to kick off the participation of St. Paul Travelers in the EPA’s Climate Leaders program, an effort by U.S. corporations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. St. Paul Travelers is also unveiling an ENERGY STAR label awarded to its headquarters campus in Saint Paul, Minnesota, at a simultaneous event.
That lowers my respect for the Energy Star label a bit. A complex that stays lit up all night (including the light from the top of the Travelers Tower), and doesn’t appear to make use of all that roof space to add some solar power back to the grid would seem to be labeled “needs improvement” in my book, rather than being congratulated on being environmentally friendly.