Production and Reduction: Build a better business for a better tomorrow

These room-by-room ideas will give you waste reduction tips. Either view them in list format here or go to the poster and move your mouse over objects for ideas.

Building

• The building is constructed with properly insulated windows and green building (sustainable and high performance) features such as recycled building materials. Windows overlook native landscaping and the building is mostly daylighted. Daylighting is the use of natural lighting through skylights and perimeter windows. Daylighting reduces lifetime utility costs 30 to 70 percent, according to the Energy Center of Wisconsin.
• High efficiency air and heating systems may cost more initially but can be justified by saving over time.
• Blocks are made from recycled flyash. Framing products include timber from certified sustainable forests and recycled steel. Sheathing and wallboard is made from 100 percent recycled newsprint and reinforced gypsum. Insulation is 100 percent recycled newspapers (cellulose in roof and fiberglass for walls).
• A louvered gutter system allows rainwater to soak into the ground rather than run into storm sewers.
• When buying light bulbs, computers and appliances, the company purchases energy-saving models with "Energy Star" or "Green Lights" labels. These bulbs are 75 percent more energy efficient and last ten times longer than a standard bulb.
• Containers are labeled for recyclables and trash (with trash being considerably smaller). Recycling bins are located throughout the building.
• All rooms have occupancy/motion and photo-sensors for the light switches that turn off lights when rooms are not in use.

General Office Area

• Nontoxic adhesives are used on tile and carpet. Walls are painted with low-VOC paint. Carpet is segmented so that only worn squares are replaced - the carpet company takes back old carpeting to recycle.
• Employees donate clothing/toys for local charities or host a garage sale.
• Books are taken home or borrowed during lunches and breaks. Magazines are donated to hospitals, libraries and nursing homes.
• The company uses an internal network for e-mail, scheduling, announcements, record keeping, inventory management and faxing. Accounting uses electronic billing and payment. Editing and document proofing is completed on the computer and information is stored on the hard drive or network to lessen the need for discs. Staff who travel use docking stations for their laptops so they can carry their work electronically. Employees turnoff computers and monitors when they leave. Computer stations are ergonomically designed for wellness and productivity. Screensavers are prohibited; they use more energy than a blank screen.
• Staff has embraced the "paperless office" concept so the copy machine is less elaborate and small; fewer printers are needed. The office uses refillable, reusable toner cartridges.
• The company buys supplies that contain recycled content and nontoxic office products such as markers, trash bags and desktop accessories.
• The company's "Green Team" educates employees about cost-saving recycling and waste reduction. The team leader monitors a suggestion box, posts bulletins and writes articles for an electronic newsletter about the recycling program progress.
• Some employees "telework" at home and use shared office space when in the office. Telecommuting means that the employee or contractor works at home one or more days per moth during normal business hours. Broadband technology such as DSL and cable modems plus phone conferences and online instant messaging make it easier to stay in touch when working offsite. Teleworking limits air emissions, saves gas and allows flexible schedules.
• The company keeps its mailing list current to avoid sending unnecessary mail.

Daycare

• The facility's daycare saves employees time and energy commuting to and from daycare. It's a family friendly environment.
• Play equipment is made from recycled material such as plastic bottles and tires.
• The daycare uses a service for diapers, cleaning rags and hand towels.
• The floor is made from 100 percent recycled rubber flooring. Carpet is made from 100 percent soda bottle plastic.

Meeting room

• The meeting room is set up for, and staff is trained, to give electronic presentations. Projection screens are used for electronic presentations and wipe-off message boards and non-scented markers are used for those who aren't prepared to present electronically.
• The room has laptop connections and computers are used to share notes.
• Participants wear reusable name tag holders and use meeting binders that are collected as they leave and recycled for the next meeting.
• The meeting planner asks participants to comment on the environmental aspects of the event and suggest improvements.

Cafeteria

• A ride board encourages ride sharing to meetings and work.
• The company offers a discount to customers who bring their own mugs.
• Food service composts food waste and coffee grounds and fat from cooking is rendered.
• Reusable trays, plates and silverware cut down on foam and plastic use. Energy saving appliances are used.
• Condiments are served from reusable containers.
• Company offers cloth lunch bags for employees who want to bring their own lunch. Employees use sandwich keepers and cloth napkins.
• Cafeteria sells half-orders for those trying to trim waste and waistlines.

Customer Sales/Service Area and Store

• This company has borrowed the "doll hospital" idea and offers customers a bicycle, stroller and wheelchair parts repair/exchange area. Broken and old parts are fixed in the factory or recycled. A company website directs customers on how to fix some parts themselves or where to find a local bike shop where they can exchange parts or have parts repaired.
• Bike donations are accepted and bikes are restored for community bicycle programs, kids groups or for shipping to Third World countries.
• The customer service area is an eyeglass recycling drop off. Eyeglasses are donated to the Recycle for Sight Program.
• A real time monitor shows visitors how green building and other conservation practices save money and energy.
• Bike parts may be recycled as artwork or furniture. Over 30,000 pounds of used bicycle parts from 150 bike shops in 17 states are recycled annually by Resource Revival, a bicycle parts recycling company in Portland, Ore. The company sells bike chain picture frames, cog candleholders, bike chain keychains, wheel rim business card holders, compact disc holders, wine racks, tables and valve core earrings.
• The floor is made from recycled wood from the old high school gym floor.

Restrooms

• Sinks and toilets are properly maintained and equipped with automatic flushing and low flow devices. Dripping faucets are quickly repaired. Employees report repair needs.
• Toilet paper is made from recycled materials. Bathroom stalls are wheelchair accessible.
• Low-flow showers and lockers are provided to encourage employees to ride bikes and walk to work.
• Bathroom wall tiles are made from recycled glass.

Janitor's closet

• Cleaning staff use nontoxic cleaning products. According to the U.S. EPA, indoor pollutants can reach 100 times that in outdoor air. Chemical sensitivity is on the rise, occurring in 15 percent of people.

Production Area

• Solvents and chemicals that emit VOCs have been replaced with nontoxic substances. When making a purchase, the company asks if there is an environmentally friendly substitute available that is less toxic or hazardous than the product it has been purchasing (for example, cleansers without phosphates).
• Work station floor mats are recycled rubber, which is more comfortable for employees on their feet all day.
• Inventory is carefully controlled so that products are used within their allotted shelf life. Raw material dimensions and quantities are matched as closely as possible with manufacturing requirements.
• Equipment is properly maintained to reduce wear and extend the machinery's life.
• Metal is cut using a saw. Employees dress for safety wearing goggles and other protective clothing. Cutting oil lubricates and helps keep the saw from becoming too hot. Collection pans with a line to a filter collect unused material and return them to the spray container for reuse.
• Employees collect machine chips, oil and coolants for recycling.
• Scrap goes into a barrel to be returned to steel mill.
• Metal is washed with an aqueous parts washer to rid it of oil residues and filings. Soapy water is recycled and oil is collected making this a zero discharge wash facility.
• A baking oven adheres the powder coating/paint to the clean metal. The company may opt for mechanized spray painting, which also avoids human error and gets the exact thickness needed. Human operated spray guns with laser beams help control the distance from the part being sprayed to maximize paint coverage.

Plastics Production Area

• Bike fenders are manufactured from recycled plastic material delivered in pellet form. Used trimmings go to a grinder or are melted and can be put back into stock.
• Plastic pellets are melted and shaped using an extrusion process. Extrusion molding takes less energy than injection molding because it operates at lower temperatures. The process is fume-free. Fenders and bike seats are remolded and replaced rather than replacing a whole bike when they wear through.

Shipping, Receiving and Loading Dock

• The company requests reusable packaging from vendors and asks them to minimize packaging. It buys products in bulk (unpackaged) when possible to reduce packaging.
• The company purchases high-quality pallets, which last longer and are repairable. Non-repairable pallets are sent to a lumberyard to be shredded for mulch, or employees take them home for kindling.
• Shipping containers for bicycles are reusable and contain built-in packing. Delivery drivers bring containers back for reuse after delivery and unloading. Other items are shipped in reusable envelopes or containers made from recycled materials. Notes enclosed in packages ask recipients to reuse packaging materials.
• Recycle bins are provided for cardboard, paper, shrink warp and more. The boxes and smaller cardboard containers are available to staff for moving/gift-wrapping.
• Computers are recycled and/or donated. Over 315 million computers in the U.S. are expected to be retired by 2004. The average lifetime of a personal computer is five years.
• The company contracts to recycle metal scraps, floor sweepings, pallets, sawdust, scrap wood and strapping bands.
  - The company uses recycled envelopes and prints addresses on them to avoid the need for labels.
• - To avoid unwanted mail, the company sent a letter with its name and address to Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9008, Farmington, NY 11735-9008, and asked to be removed from their members' mailing lists. For organizations from which they do wish to receive mail, they've requested that their address is not shared or sold.

Parking lot

• Parking spaces are appropriately sized, spaced and made from porous pavement. There are recessed islands for infiltration and storm water filtration-retention areas. Parking spaces are reserved for car pool vehicles.
• A pond filters and acts as a detention pond for excess water runoff.
• Shade trees make the parking lot more pleasant and absorb some water runoff.
• Fuel-efficient cars get prime parking spaces.
• The company hosts a Bike-to-Work Day and supplies bike racks.
• Modest lighting is more energy efficient and directs light downward.
• The company uses fuel-efficient vehicles and contracts for vehicle servicing including recycling antifreeze and oil. Vehicles are maintained for top performance - regular tune-ups, brake adjustments and tire pressure checks.

Grounds

• A rain garden collects run-off from the roof. Flowers, trees and the lawn offer windbreaks and shade around the facility for energy saving. Native flora has been planted that adapts to the local climate and requires less maintenance, water and chemicals.
• Picnic tables and playground equipment are made from recycled high-density polyethylene plastic that came from gallon milk jugs.
• The company is located in an ecopark where supply/demand are close. The building is sited on a brownfields site that has been cleaned and redeveloped. It also is strategically located so that employees and customers live nearby and don't have a long commute.
• Food service composts food waste; fat from cooking is rendered.

City street

• Employees use mass transit. The company offers a credit to help pay for bus or trian tickets.
• Sidewalks make it easier to walk to work.