In the changing environmental and political climates of our time, new priorities, standards, and methodologies are regularly introduced into the marketplace to accommodate the vision of sustainability. Due to the size of our company, our carbon footprint is relatively small; but that does not deter us from contributing to that vision, from prioritizing preservation, and ultimately from materializing our efforts towards environmental awareness through the twenty-first century.
Fleet Vehicles
Because we obtain a regular supply of work throughout the greater Salt Lake Valley, the largest portion of our emissions stems from our fleet vehicles. Where we have made environmental preservation our imperative, our primary focus is divestment. As comparing two Ford F350’s of comparable freight and annual expedition (as well as calculational guidelines referenced from Earth911 and Cool Climate), a difference of 3.4 miles per gallon from a 2016 model to a 2018 model cut emissions from roughly twenty-three metric tons of CO2 emitted per year per vehicle to only fifteen. To date, all our fleet vehicles in regular operation were purchased after the calendar year 2016. Moving forward, we intend a similar ratio of divestment and improvement to fuel our pursuits in the Salt Lake Valley, as we believe in actively supporting the innovations of motor companies in creating a greener Earth.
Excavation Equipment
The excavation equipment that we use on a regular basis includes the Case 580 Loader Backhoe and the Case 621 Loader. Our oldest model backhoe operating in the field is quite up to date – a 2019 model; and considering our suppliers’ fundamental mechanical leaps in innovation, we are confident that our commitment to this model has long-lasting benefits for the future.
Freight
In past years, our freight emissions accounted for a substantial portion of our gross carbon footprint; presently, we subcontract the lion’s share of our freight endeavors; wherein inclusively, our carbon estimates place us between one quarter and one third of the national average for freight vehicle emissions (55 tons – 73 tons of carbon dioxide per year per truck). Through divestment and private design features particular to trucks purchased in 2023, our miles per gallon have increased as compared to our older Peterbilt models by roughly forty percent, now resting comfortably on the current national average of 6.5 miles per gallon for freight fuel efficiency.