Education

Speaker Bio

Walt Tunnessen is a National Program Manager for the U.S. EPAs ENERGY STAR program, a voluntary government program that works with hundreds of businesses and organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through improved energy efficiency. In 2007, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, prevented 40 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and saved more than $16 billion on their utility bills

Through ENERGY STAR, Walt leads initiatives with manufacturing sectors to identify energy management best practices and develop energy performance benchmarks. He is responsible for the EPAs ENERGY STAR initiatives with the Pharmaceutical sector and to develop an energy performance rating for laboratories. Walt oversees partner-networking programs and has been instrumental in developing energy management guidance and resources for ENERGY STAR. Most recently, he played an instrumental role in the development of the Energy Strategy for the Road Ahead report, developed in partnership with leading corporate energy programs. Building on one the recommendations of that report, Walt formed a working group of ENERGY STAR partners to identify best practices in supply management.

Prior to joining the ENERGY STAR Program, Walt worked in the area of strategic environmental management, corporate environmental policy, and sustainability as a consultant, director of an NGO program, and at the Presidents Council for Sustainable Development. Walt holds a MS form the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a MSEL from Vermont Law School, and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.