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This category covers a broad range of aspects including waste management, environmentally preferable purchasing, recycling of specific products, compostable containers, third-party certification, duplex printing
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International Coastal Cleanup DaySeptember 1, 2010September 25 is International Coastal Cleanup Day. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the day that is dedicated to picking up trash and debris from coastlines and waterways all over the world. Last year, hundreds of thousands of volunteers picked up over a million plastic bags and enough picnic items to host 100,000 people. Last year, our Green Committee in Sacramento partnered with the California Arts Council to draw special attention to the occasion and host an art contest for our employees’ children. It was so successful, that we are doing it again this year. The Ocean Conservancy leads the international effort. Government agencies and non-profit organizations participate by identifying opportunities for volunteers to spend a day cleaning up beaches, lakes, riverbeds, and waterways. In California, our state Coastal Commission has information about events planned around the state and how to join the effort. This is a wonderful opportunity to draw attention to your greening efforts and involve employees in active participating to improve the environment in their communities. The art contest we host gives notice to everyone about the upcoming day and helps teach youth K-12 about the importance of protecting and preserving our natural resources. The art contest theme this year is “Oceans and Wetlands”. In our announcement released the middle of August, we provided a list of websites for parents and older contestants from which to obtain information and inspiration for their artistic creations. We specifically included resources about the Gulf oil spill and environmental clean-up efforts underway: http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/ http://www.teachablemoment.org/elementary/oilspill.html http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home The art will be on display in our building’s cafeteria for a month and an awards ceremony with prizes for the winning entries by age group will be held October 1, in conjunction with California Arts Day. We contacted restaurants and businesses to request meal coupons or gift cards to present as prizes. Last year, we were able to give all contestants a souvenir award for their effort and the winners a classroom pizza party.
Internal greening efforts benefit from frequent opportunities to make employees aware of the threats to our natural resources and the many opportunities throughout the year to take action and make a difference. Visible and positive changes from those efforts spur enthusiasm and confidence to undertake bolder steps in our workplaces to adopt sustainable business practices, knowing they, too, promote sound use of our limited resources and reduce our environmental impact.
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For FedEx "Everything is Connected"August 25, 2010At FedEx, we recognize that our impact is greater than the services we provide. We are committed to being a great place to work, a thoughtful steward of the environment and a caring citizen in the communities where we live and work. We are passionate about sustainably connecting people and places and improving the quality of life around the world. This is how FedEx® introduces itself on the company’s website. This week’s blog began with a conversation I had with Bill Brown, Senior Counsel for FedEx. I met Bill at the 2010 annual meeting of the Conference of Western Attorneys General. I introduced myself as the author of GreenWorksGov and asked him if FedEx had made many changes in their business processes to lower their carbon footprint. I learned that FedEx has taken many significant measures in the last decade to transform its system of services and delivery to fulfill its commitment to be a “thoughtful steward of the environment.” I’m pleased to write about FedEx this week because they are a global force for sustainability around the world, and GreenWorksGov readers hail from nearly every continent.
Bill referred me to Mitch Jackson, Staff Vice-President for Environmental Affairs and Sustainability. Mitch leads FedEx’s sustainability initiatives, which touch on every aspect of the company’s operations. You can read up on their activities by clicking here. FedEx’s website is all you’d expect from a global company plus more. FedEx strives for transparency and its website offers up easy-to-find information on the company’s demonstrated commitment to sustainable business practices. One reason that the information is so easy to find is because sustainability is integral to the mission, values, and performance standards adhered to by FedEx and its employees.
I think it’s important to pay attention to FedEx for at least three reasons. First, they are a company with which most of us do some business; their green practices help us to achieve our goals with respect to factoring the carbon footprint of the materials, packaging, and transportation elements of our operations. FedEx started its sustainability program back in the early part of this decade, now called EarthSmart, a commitment to minimize the company’s impact on the environment. Today, for example, half of FedEx's pickup and delivery vehicles used in the London, U.K. area are electric or alternative fuel vehicles. And in general, FedEx has the industry’s largest fleet of hybrid electric package-delivery trucks. They’re still expanding that fleet, but not just by buying new hybrids. They’ve also learned how to expand the useful lives of some conventional diesel trucks by retrofitting them with hybrid electric drive trains. FedEx collaborated with the Environmental Defense Fund to help engineer the first hybrid commercial trucks in 2005. From the first 18 trucks in the fleet, FedEx now has 329 and there are 1,416 more throughout the US. Company-wide, FedEx has realized a 14% savings in fuel efficiency since 2005.
Second, we can borrow some of their ideas and apply them in our greening practices and educational institution outreach efforts. FedEx has targeted the paper services it provides and increased the percent of Forest Stewardship Council certified paper that the company buys. FedEx has a vision of their potential and their corporate responsibility to lead their industry and beyond into sustainability. On the global front, FedEx is collaborating with the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy on a study due out later this year on the success and risk factors for nations who strive to achieve both environmental sustainability and economic sustainability and the links between them.
Last, we can draw inspiration to reach into our communities by learning what FedEx is doing in service to others and in support of environmental protection. For example, FedEx joined the efforts to protect sea turtle nests and eggs from potential impacts of the Gulf oil spill by donating resources to transport hundreds of nests containing thousands of eggs to Florida’s Atlantic Coast for temporary protection during the hatching season. I think it serves to underscore the commitment to green internal operations when a business supports and encourages its employees to engage in “external” actions to protect the environment and our natural resources. “Everything is Connected”, is an apt title for FedEx’s 2009 annual Global Citizenship Update.
I recommend spending some time learning more about FedEx and studying its successful example. The takeaway for me is that sustainability is elevated to the mission of the company, aligned with its business goals across the enterprise, and viewed as a necessary condition for the company’s success. The message is clear and consistent. FedEx has earned its industry leader ranking. I think the sea turtles are in very good hands.
For its efforts and accomplishments, FedEx is the recipient of numerous awards in 2009 and 2010:
Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America
Boston College-Reputation Institute 2009 CSR Index Top 10 Ranking
Newsweek Greenest Companies Ranking Top 100
EPA Green Power Partnership Printer’s List No. 1 Ranking
Green Grades Office Supply Report Card’s Top Ranking
Flight Safety Foundation’s Honeywell Bendix Trophy for Aviation Safety
2009 W3 Awards’ Gold Award in the business category for its Citizenship Blog at blog.fedex.com
FORTUNE Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For”
And, so far in 2010
The Lindbergh Foundation Corporate Award for Balance 2010 (joining past years’ winners: Patagonia, Google, The Jacoby Group)
The International Charter’s Committed to the Environment Award 2010 (the first transportation company to receive this award)
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Stuff Happens--Where Batteries Go When They DieJuly 28, 2010Stuff happens. A couple weeks ago, our state Department of General Services informed the building managers in all the state-owned buildings that the battery recycling services contract was terminated, effective now. Most of our employees work in a state building, and they regularly fill the designated kiosks with office batteries and batteries from home. Groan. Now we have to figure out if we can set up a volunteer effort or if we can amend an existing arrangement in our leased buildings to include the other buildings. We will work through this, but it would have been really nice if this had not happened. We’ve shifted to rechargeable batteries for some of our needs, and I've discovered that we have some work to do to shift the balance to predominantly rechargeable batteries. And there are instances when the single-use batteries work best, such as a wall clock. So we still go through a lot of batteries. Also, we like being able to offer employees with an outlet for them to drop off dead batteries they bring from home. Consumers use an average of six wireless products in their day-to-day lives, and the average cell phone is replaced (or upgraded) every 18 to 24 months. In searching out possible solutions, there’s a nifty website that works for anywhere in the US, Ontario and British Columbia provinces. Call2Recycle reaches out to businesses and sets up free in-store recycling centers.
This site provides an extensive listing of stores that accept batteries for recycling. The site states that locations in the US will only accept rechargeable batteries. When I called several stores, all but one said that they would accept single-use, too. We advise employees to call first to check. Without question, participating stores accept these rechargeable batteries: Nickel Cadmium, Nickel Metal Hydride, Nickel Zinc, Lithium Ion and Small Sealed Lead weighing less than 11 lbs/ 5 kg each. These types of batteries can be found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, two-way radios, camcorders, and remote control toys.
Old cell phones can be dropped off, too. We like using Verizon’s HopeLine program, which I’ve written about in an earlier blog, but this is another option.
Check out the Games and Resources tab on the Call2Recycle tab. It has a Green IQ quiz and a couple games everyone in the family can do.
Meanwhile, we're taking another look at rechargeable batteries so we can increase their use in our offices. Click here to get some good info and an easy "how to" from our CalRecycle Department.
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Paper CountsJuly 21, 2010I want to write about paper, again. I’m not anti-paper, I like paper. But let’s face it, we all handle a lot of paper in our lives. Our Sacramento legal office went through 10 million pieces of copy paper in 2009. If that sounds shocking, that figure puts us just about average for North American office workers. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the paper industry ranks third after the petroleum and chemical industries for fossil fuel emissions. If all that paper we used had been virgin paper, it would have required 1,200 40 foot tall trees. One ream of paper, 500 sheets, uses 6% of a tree. We buy paper by the pallet which is 400 reams. We’ll buy 20,000 reams in a year, or 50 pallets for this one office. In our six legal offices, we’ll consume 27.8 million pieces of copy paper in a year. If it were all virgin paper, 3,336 trees would be needed to produce the 138 pallets of paper that will be delivered to our doorsteps. And I’m not even counting the other 50% of our employees who work on the law enforcement and information systems side of the organization. As part of our greening effort, we are trying to become more conservationist-minded with our paper.
For every ream of 100% recycled content paper, which we buy the most, no trees are lost. Understand, this doesn’t mean we save 100% in energy, greenhouse gases, wastewater or solid waste when we buy 100% recycled content paper, also known as post-consumer content (pcc) paper. In other words, even 100% pcc paper is not carbon-neutral. If you are interested in knowing more about the paper industry and paper’s impact on climate, I recommend reading this report from the Environmental Paper Network. One of its recommendations which synchs up well with sustainability is to use less paper and to buy recycled content paper. We may never be a paperless law office, but we can use less paper. Any office can and save money by doing so.
Part of going green is selling green. That means I need to do my homework and get some facts about an issue, in this case the environmental impact of paper. When I wanted to know the energy used to produce different kinds of paper, I searched for EPA’s online website calculators. It’s a quick redirect on the EPA website to the Environmental Defense Fund’s paper calculator, which is the source for the comparison info I’m using. I’ll summarize. The greater the recycled content of the paper you buy, the lighter your impact on the environment. I entered 138 tons (one pallet is equivalent to a ton in weight) into the calculator and ran comparisons against virgin, 30%, and 100% recycled content paper:
As a department, we have shifted to nearly 80% use of 100% pcc paper. But with budget and spending shortfalls, 30% pcc is looking better to our buyers who make purchasing decisions against the bottom line. There is a cost difference, no question, and their dilemma is understandable. And in an era of shrinking funds, 30% gets the nod. My goal is to mount a successful educational campaign to reduce paper usage so that even when we spend a little more to buy 100% pcc paper, we’re still saving money. And it’s a big difference to the environment. In contrast to 30% pcc paper, if we buy 138 tons of 100% pcc paper, the savings is enough to meet the energy needs of 9 homes a year, to save 2,500 trees, and to take 64 cars off the road. Our legal offices could do this by reducing their paper usage by only 15%. Two things—print less and print duplex. What if we all did this in our own workplaces? The savings adds up fast and those dollars can be applied to buy 100% pcc paper to conserve our natural resources.
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Lessons in Green Leadership: Tufts Practices What it TeachesJuly 7, 2010We learn something every day. Since GreenWorksGov debuted in March, I’ve been on a mission to find and highlight resources to help organizations start or advance their greening efforts. In an earlier blog, I wrote about the valuable information available from Eastern Connecticut State University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy Green Campus program. Today, I write to urge you to head to the Office of Sustainability at Tufts University where you can find model business practices, ideas for what you can do and how to do it, and mission and policy statements you can use as templates for your green programs. Even the website is an outstanding example of how to showcase and communicate green program principles and activities to staff and the public alike. Let me give you a brief tour. First, some background on Tufts' sustainability program (which I largely quote and you can read for yourself in the About Us section). Tufts University is located in the greater Boston area and has three campuses. The University has long been a pioneer in campus sustainability. In 1990 Tufts developed the first university environmental policy and launched the international Talloires Declaration, now endorsed by 413 university leaders worldwide.
More than fifteen years later, campus sustainability is now part of the fabric of university life: an electric tractor mows the organic baseball field; water use is down 10% since 1990; students can rent electric and hybrid vehicles as part of a shared vehicle program; dining services offers organic and local foods and buys high efficiency appliances; renewable energy powers a new residence hall (a LEED Gold building, topped with photovoltaic and solar hot water systems); the library hosts a green roof PhD project; recycling is a part of everyday life; and student learning is integrated into these many initiatives through undergraduate and graduate student research, class projects, and internships.
A combination of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and a new electricity contract has reduced Tufts' emissions close to 1990 levels. In 2005, the United States Environmental Protection Agency awarded the prestigious Climate Protection Award to Tufts for its efforts. In short, Tufts knows what it’s talking about.
The website comes fully loaded. Under the About Us tab you can find general background info and the mission statement. There is a FAQ’s tab aimed at students and staff with quick facts and answers to common questions. The Links page is a source for career opportunities in sustainability. The Archives is a virtual library of educational reference materials and recent communications from the Office. I will focus on the Big Two, “Programs” and “Take Action!”.
The Programs tab is where you can learn about specific efforts the university is taking to green its operations and raise awareness among students, faculty, and staff. There are great examples and ideas here for purchasing, paper conservation, energy savings, food services, buildings, water, and transportation. Tufts has an Eco-ambassador program for staff and student volunteers that could be transplanted to an office organization. Eco-Ambassadors attend training sessions to learn about current and past initiatives on campus; energy generation and use on campus; recycling; communicating the 'green' message; and opportunities for greening on campus.
The Take Action! Tab is host to a wide array of steps that contribute toward the university’s sustainability goals. There is the Campaign to Save Paper, a Green Guide, What You Can Do, Ridesharing info, and Recycling options. There is even an Eco-map showing where all the various recycling stations are on campus, where the LEED buildings are located, etc. A great solution to the perennial question, “Where can I recycle this?”
This is one site that you should bookmark on your Favorites list. I am better informed and infused with new ideas just for spending an hour on the site. Summer school at its best, and I plan to return often. GreenWorksGov salutes Tufts for its leadership in sustainable programs and environmental stewardship.
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