Engine and outdoor power equipment manufacturer reduces energy consumption by 9.4 million kilowatt-hours, 7,448 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually
MANITOWOC, Wis. — May 7, 2009 — The Briggs & Stratton Corp. (NYSE: BGG) on May 13 will receive an Environmental Stewardship Award from Orion Energy Systems Inc. for the engine and outdoor power equipment manufacturer’s 100-plus-year legacy of corporate and social environmental responsibility.
Orion will present the award to Briggs & Stratton officials at Briggs’ Poplar Bluff, Mo., manufacturing facility. President and COO Todd Teske from Briggs & Stratton, President and CEO Neal Verfuerth from Orion Energy Systems, and Poplar Bluff Mayor Loyd Matthews will speak at the event. Other state and local public officials and utility professionals are expected to attend.
Orion Energy Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: OESX), of Manitowoc, Wis., will present the award, which is designed to recognize companies that reduce energy consumption — and associated greenhouse gases — through the use of Orion technology.
In eight of its North American facilities, Briggs & Stratton has decreased its energy consumption by 9.4 million kilowatt-hours using Orion’s high-intensity fluorescent technology. As a result of the energy reduction, Briggs and Stratton will decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 7,448 metric tons every year.
The energy savings frees enough electricity to power 937 homes a year, is the air-scrubbing equivalent of a 1,536-acre forest, or equates to removing 1,237 cars from the road.
Environmental stewardship drives what Briggs & Stratton does every day and lies at the very heart of the company’s vision and values. In addition to implementing high-efficiency lighting at its facilities, Briggs & Stratton has reduced its hazardous waste by 90 percent, eliminated more than 75 percent of smog-forming emissions from its engines since 1995, recycles 100 percent of its aluminum scrap and all of the cast iron, and steel components used in its projects come from recycled materials. These are just a few examples of Briggs’ longstanding commitment to sustainability.
Orion is helping the U.S. overcome electrical grid capacity challenges through permanent distributed load reduction, which results from deploying Orion’s integrated system. The integrated system includes Orion’s high-intensity fluorescent Compact Modular™ lighting platform, the InteLite® wireless control system and the direct renewable Apollo® Solar Light Pipe, all of which are installed as an integrated system in Briggs & Stratton’s Poplar Bluff facility.
Orion’s innovation and technology recently won the praise of President Barack Obama, who applauded Orion in a White House speech promoting clean energy, the creation of green collar jobs and the importance of energy efficiency. Obama challenged Orion and other clean energy companies to “mount a historic effort to end once and for all our dependence on foreign oil.”
The media is invited to attend the event and luncheon, which will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13 at Briggs & Stratton, 731 Highway 142, Poplar Bluff, Mo. For more information or to register for the event and luncheon, please log on to http://www.oesx.com/briggs_stratton or call (920) 482-1988.
Briggs & Stratton Corp. (NYSE: BGG) is the world’s largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group LLC, is North America’s No. 1 manufacturer of portable generators and pressure washers, and is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of lawn and garden and turf care through its wholly owned subsidiary Simplicity Manufacturing Inc. and its Simplicity®, Snapper®, Ferris® and Murray® brands. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced in more than 100 countries on six continents. For more information, visit http://www.briggsandstratton.com.
Orion Energy Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: OESX) is a leading power technology enterprise that designs, manufactures and implements energy management systems, consisting primarily of high-performance, energy-efficient lighting systems, controls and related services for commercial and industrial customers without compromising their quantity or quality of light. Orion’s technology was recently recognized with a Platts Global Energy Award for the single most innovative and sustainable green technology of 2008. Orion has deployed its energy management systems in 4,387 facilities across North America. Since 2001, Orion technology has displaced more than 423 megawatts, saving customers more than $514 million and reducing indirect carbon dioxide emissions by 4.3 million tons. For more information, visit http://www.oesx.com.
Media Contact
Linda Diedrich
Director Corporate Communications
(920) 482-1988
ljd@oes1.com
