The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/65892
One of Loftus's creative ideas now powers a Whole Foods facil- LW\ ZLWK ZDVWH FRRNLQJ RLO 'UDZLQJ XSRQ KHU SUHYLRXV H[SHULHQFH with utility companies and supermarkets, she developed a com- bined heating and power plan for the company's North Atlantic Regional Kitchen in Everett, Mass., selecting a location where the HQHUJ\ JULG ZDV RYHUWD[HG 6HH VLGHEDU Another "crazy" idea Loftus pushed through was the use of hy- drogen fuel cells, a technology more commonly used in outer space than in terrestrial buildings. Fuel cells convert natural gas into energy through a chemical process whose only emission is wa- ter vapor. Loftus not only spearheaded the use of fuel cells to pow- HU :KROH )RRGV VWRUHV FXUUHQWO\ WKHUH DUH IRXU LQ WKH 8 6 LQFOXG- LQJ RQH LQ 'HGKDP 0DVV VKH DOVR KHOSHG LPSOHPHQW SURJUDPV to turn waste heat from the fuel cells into coolant for refrigeration. "I knew we could do it, but it would take the right engineers," she says. "Here's where my 'big thinking' came in: I wasn't designing it, DQG , NQHZ VRPH RI RXU H[LVWLQJ HQJLQHHULQJ SDUWQHUV ZHUHQŒW XS to it—but knowing who could was the key." Sharing the Vision Loftus serves on the steering committee of the DOE's Commercial Buildings Energy Alliance, a task force that Torecellini advises. The group disseminates alternative energy solutions to retail stores, which account for 20 percent of all business space in the country. Working with more traditional retailers such as Target and Wal- 0DUW WR GHVLJQ PRUH HIƂFLHQW VWRUHV KDV SXW /RIWXVŒV FROODERUDWLRQ skills to the test. "Previously, companies didn't want to give away secrets to anoth- er company because they felt it would be competitive advantage," Loftus says. "But there are plenty of different ways to compete. How businesses can lessen their impact on the environment shouldn't be a trade secret. Those types of solutions we should share." Whole Foods has already contributed new ideas to the alliance, sharing plans for a newly built model store in North Carolina that uses a giant cistern to recycle rainwater for the store's plumbing, plus innovations in refrigeration, HVAC, and lighting that use 40 percent less energy than even the minimum recommended by ASHRAE's building and energy codes. Loftus's success has inspired Whole Foods to create a new task force RI H[HFXWLYH OHDGHUV WR SXUVXH KLJK OHYHO HQHUJ\ VWUDWHJ\ LQFOXGLQJ WKH H[SDQGHG XVH RI IXHO FHOOV VRODU DQG RWKHU WHFKQRORJLHV LQ LWV stores. Loftus leads that task force, as well as the company's Green Mission Leadership Group. In her hometown of Scituate, she serves RQ WKH 5HQHZDEOH (QHUJ\ &RPPLWWHH; OHQGLQJ KHU H[SHUWLVH RQ D ZLQG WXUELQH LQVWDOODWLRQ DQG RQ D VRODU DUUD\ DW WKH WRZQ ODQGƂOO Every day, Loftus uses the creative thinking and collaboration VNLOOV VKH ƂUVW OHDUQHG DW :3, WR SXVK LQQRYDWLRQV QRW RQO\ DW Whole Foods but in her hometown and at other chains across the FRXQWU\ /(' OLJKW EXOEV DQG HQHUJ\ HIƂFLHQW FRROHUV IRU WKH VR\- milk might not seem like much to the untrained eye—but put to- gether with dozens of other innovations across thousands of retail stores, they make a huge difference. "Making a difference is what it's all about," says Loftus. Spring 2012 25