Sustainable Practices at NBCUniversal Facilities

At Comcast NBCUniversal, we strive to be environmentally responsible in our business decisions, no matter how big or small. Through sustainable innovation, we actively work to reduce the footprint of our facilities by identifying ways to improve efficiency in energy usage, water consumption, and waste reduction - all to lessen the collective impact of our workplaces on the environment.

The below projects are just a sample of the initiatives implemented by NBCUniversal Operations & Technology to further the company’s commitment to advancing environmental solutions.

Energy Efficiency  

• The Universal Studios Lot has installed solar panels on the roofs of four sound stages. The 548 kW system will generate enough power to provide more than half of the energy used annually at the stages and connected production office buildings.
• NBCUniversal has a comprehensive Smart Building strategy that integrates analytics with building automation systems to optimize facilities infrastructure.  In 2019, the strategy was deployed in energy intensive facilities across West Coast Studio Operations.  On the DreamWorks Animation campus, efforts were focused on the central chilled water plant.  With the 10 Universal City Plaza skyscraper, the project concentrated on air handling systems.  On the Universal Studios Lot, Bldg. 2160 was upgraded with retrofitted chiller plant and air-handling systems. Additionally, the Universal Studios Lot has converted over 1 million square feet of office space to LED lighting.  The combined energy reduction of these projects is more than 6 million kWh per year.
• 10 Universal City Plaza (10 UCP), an 800,000 square foot high rise office building located in Los Angeles, received an Innovation Award: Energy Efficiency Project of the Year from the City of Los Angeles for energy projects that reduced the building’s energy use by 40%. Projects included retrofitting heating, chillers, pumps and controls, LED lighting conversions and modernizing elevators. 10 UCP is one of the first buildings in the country to use Smart Commissioning with integrated performance analytics.  The building is now saving 1,420 MWh in energy per year and is certified LEED Gold.
• The NBC Sports facility in Stamford, CT is an ENERGY STAR-certified building and utilizes an integrated technology system to reduce energy usage. For example, lobby blinds are automatically controlled to help regulate indoor temperatures, and the building’s lighting (nearly 100% of which is LED) is automated to optimize energy efficiency.
• Additionally, the new Telemundo Center in Miami uses 100% LED lighting and strategically-placed skylights to reduce energy consumption.
• Several of our facilities including Universal City Studios, Telemundo Center, and NBC Sports in Stamford support clean transportation by offering electric vehicle charging. We now have over 100 charging spaces available to employees and guests across all participating locations.
• Many of our offices offer rideshare or commuter programs to reduce environmental impact from transportation. For example, the New York Tristate offices coordinate an intra-facility shuttle bus service between our New York and New Jersey facilities, reducing the number of individual cars on the road. At NBC Sports, a shuttle service is offered between the office and nearby train station to encourage employees to utilize public transportation instead of driving.

Water Management

• The Universal Studios Lot uses recycled water from the City of Los Angeles when available for landscape irrigation. The studio is also piloting a project to capture urban runoff and filter it for reuse for onsite irrigation, saving an additional 2 million gallons per year. Additionally, storm water treatment devices across the property retain trash and sediment that would otherwise be carried off by runoff, so it can be managed onsite and not discharged to the Los Angeles River.

Waste Reduction

• NBCUniversal’s UK headquarters in Central St. Giles has eliminated all disposable items from its kitchens including cups, plates, lids, and cutlery. Instead, employees are provided with reusable cutlery and cups.
• Universal Studios, DreamWorks Animation, and Central St. Giles facilities utilize a Zero Waste recycling program, helping to significantly reduce the amount of material sent to landfill from corporate and production offices, facility studio operations and production stages. The program provides compost, recycling and landfill receptacles in all offices. Additionally, cardboard, metal, landscape waste, wood and construction debris are collected for recycling, and pallet exchange and furniture donation programs are in place to further reuse and recycle materials.
• Many locations have replaced bottled water with water filtration units. For example, Telemundo Center has installed several water refilling stations per floor which keeps more than 115,000 plastic water bottles out of circulation each year. 
• The employee commissaries at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Universal Studios, and DreamWorks Animation donate excess food to local hunger relief charities, equaling thousands of meals fed to those in need each year.