Company Vows to Attain Zero Carbon Footprint by 2025
Fort Smith, Ark. – Kirkham, Inc., which operates IronTech Security and Kirkham IT, has taken its first step in its journey to achieve a carbon neutral footprint by 2025. Kirkham, Inc., with a scalable employee base, and based in Fort Smith, Ark., specializes in cybersecurity and IT services.
Unusual for a company its size, Kirkham has committed to this important initiative. Kirkham CEO and Founder, Tom Kirkham, envisions a four-step process to guide the journey to carbon neutral.
The first step was contracting with world-class data center, Switch. Switch is built on the intelligent and sustainable growth of the Internet. Not only have Switch data centers raised the industry standards for data center design, construction and operations to a level of Tier 5 Platinum, they have run on 100% renewable energy since 2016.
Solar energy will be the supporting pillar of the transition both for the company’s fleet and buildings.
As step two, Kirkham recently added two Tesla electric vehicles to its fleet. Kirkham says, “Electric vehicle owners are changing the world through reduced carbon emissions to help meet global goals on climate change. I believe in this mission. The Kirkham fleet will be one small step as we formulate our actions to achieve net neutral and potentially even net negative. Our entire team is on-board for IronTech Security and Kirkham IT to be role models for all small businesses.” For the future, everyone affiliated with Kirkham will be encouraged to consider electric vehicles to lower their individual carbon footprints.
As the third step, the company plans to focus on renewable energy sources and power storage. Careful consideration of the options which include wind, and solar power, solar appears to be the ideal alternative for Kirkham who will install systems to power its buildings as well as cells for storage and potential return of power to the grid.
Step four centers of the use of web-based communications and remote access for IT clients whenever feasible, recycling paper and other waste, and selecting like-minded supplier partners who share the passion for reducing their carbon footprint.
Kirkham sees this process not just as an ideology, but as practical. “I know that an internal combustion engine car emits, on average, 21 pounds of CO2 for every gallon of gas burned. During the COVID lockdown we have all learned how much cleaner the air can be. This brought me back to the very first Green Day when I questioned, “Why don’t we conserve more? As I got older, I learned more and more about conservation, and it just makes sense.
“It’s about preserving and preparing for a future. If auto and other carbon-burning things were emitting black smoke and it was visible, our behavior would have changed long ago,” says Kirkham. “We’re not here to preach, we are here to do.” says Kirkham.
Offsetting carbon emissions typically costs a company less than 1% of revenues. Some initiatives cost nothing. For example, applying the rule of Three Rs – reduce/reuse/recycle – to everything from office supplies to operations and the supply chain, video conferencing rather than work air travel, and turning off lights and electronics.
For more information on Kirkham Inc., IronTech Security or Kirkham IT, or to learn more about the company’s carbon neutral progress, contact Kindsey Haynes at kindsey.haynes@irontechsecurity.com.
Kirkham, Inc. operates IronTech Security, a leading managed security service provider (MSSP), delivering exceptional IT and cybersecurity services to water utilities and professional services firms. Kirkham IT specializes in network services, computer support, and IT consulting for small to midsize businesses in a broad range of industries.