In this edition of local business news, McDonald’s is working with two other companies on ways to create environmentally sustainable beef products. Reading PA-based Penske Truck Leasing is adding solar-powered facilities.
McDonald’s Goal: Serving Sustainably Produced Beef
CHICAGO IL – McDonald’s, the international fast food chain with restaurant locations across Montgomery, Berks and Chester counties, is collaborating with two other companies to produce beef more sustainably in the U.S., it says.
The business is working with Lopez Foods, a long-term supplier of protein-rich products to McDonald’s, and Syngenta North America, which specializes in agricultural technology. Their goal, they say, is to increase feed efficiency and help reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released per pound of meat produced.
Syngenta has created an exclusive product called Enogen® corn, which is fed to cattle. The corn contains an enzyme that quickly converts starch to usable sugars. It reportedly delivers more easily digestible and available energy to cattle, increasing the feed’s efficiency by about 5%.
By starting with one of the company’s priority ingredients, beef, McDonald’s says the use of Enogen® corn “is an opportunity to help us make progress toward our science-based climate targets.” It says the approach could help conserve the amount of land used for growing feed, reduce water and energy usage, and lower carbon dioxide equivalents in the atmosphere.
Top photo by Travels With The Post
Penske Truck Starts Solar-Powered Facility Initiative
READING PA – Penske Truck Leasing, the Reading-based provider of rental trucks and other transportation solutions, installed and activated its first-ever rooftop solar-powered system at an Illinois location, it said Monday (Nov. 18, 2024). It and future systems at other Penske locations are anticipated to “boost efficiency, minimize energy costs, and reduce exhaust emissions,” it adds.
The new Channahon IL facility is fully operational, predominantly powered by an on-site photovoltaic solar system, expected to generate roughly 80% of the building’s energy needs. Any remaining required energy will be supplied by the local utility provider, Penske reports.
A Grand Rapids MI location is planned to be active in coming months. Penske’s Linden NJ location is expected to go online in 2025, according to the company. Additionally, seven additional Penske facilities in California are scheduled to be retrofitted next year with new solar systems under a power purchase agreement.
Photo provided to Travels With The Post by Penske Truck Leasing
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