Finance MBA seekers may be interested to learn that even the banking industry can adopt sustainable business practices.
For instance, TD Bank recently announced that it would construct the first net-zero energy bank branch in the U.S. To receive this designation, a residential or commercial building must produce and export at least as much renewable power as the total energy it uses in a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Laboratory.
In addition, a building of this type must be constructed with technologies that will reduce the demand for energy, which will be supplied by renewable sources.
The new location is already under construction and set to open this spring in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The store will use approximately 97,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year and produce at least 100,000 kilowatt-hours in the same time frame.
"Developing green stores isn't just the right thing to do, it makes good business sense too," said Bharat Masrani, president and CEO of TD Bank. "To us, being environmentally responsible is fundamental to being the better bank."
TD Bank's past accomplishments in sustainability include receiving of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2010 Green Power Partner Leadership Award and becoming the country's first financial institution to be carbon-neutral.
