Going for the ‘Green’

You may remember a lot of talk about the paperless office back in the ’80s. Personal computers were becoming popular, and ‘paperless’ was a way to describe the office of the future, with data stored in hard drives, not filing cabinets. The hope was that automation would make paper redundant, but that never happened.

In reality, people used their new, high-speed photocopiers to print even more things on paper. Consequently, the term ‘paperless’ got sent to the archives.

Now, oddly enough, the term is resurfacing. Only this time it’s accompanied by words like ‘renewable,’ ‘sustainable,’ and ‘recyclable.’

In fact, if you work in an office where people are talking about being paperness, chances are good you’ll also find recycling bins in the cafeteria and ceramic coffee mugs in the break room. Paperless is once again a part of the office of the future.

And this trend is just part of a green tidal wave of ideas and strategies that companies are applying toward reducing waste and making work environments a little more healthy for employees. In Western Mass. businesses take their green initiatives seriously; depending on the product it offers, each company has its own unique challenges to consider when developing programs to benefit the environment.

In this issue, BusinessWest looks at some of the many manifestations of going ‘green,’ and how companies of all types are expressing their concern for the planet and its future.

Green Badges of Honor

It’s impossible to talk about ‘green’ business without mentioning the crème-de-la-crème of greenness: LEED certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It’s a program run by the U.S. Green Building Council that provides a rating system for environmentally sustainable construction.

An actual LEED building is a rare thing, because it means tossing out everything and starting from scratch. Only new commercial construction projects and major renovations carry LEED ratings. And right now there are only about 121 LEED-certified commercial buildings in the U.S.

But for companies that aren’t ready for the wrecking ball, there’s LEED-EB, which is a certification for existing buildings. Instead of design and construction, it focuses on operations and maintenance, addressing things like cleaning solutions, furniture, and recycling programs.

If you’re not up for a full-on certification, don’t dismay. LEED-EB isn’t the only show in town. ‘Green’ programs are as unique and varied as the businesses that create them. Some programs are more formal than others, and what a company chooses to focus on has much to do with the product or service it offers.

For MassMutual, LEED-EB certification fits in well with cost-cutting plans already in place. The financial-services giant, which has focused for years on ways to reduce and recycle, is now targeting the coveted certification for its 11-building headquarters in Springfield.

“Many of our buildings were built in 1927, so they have to meet certain standards to become LEED-EB certified,” said Sean Anderson, associate vice president and director for corporate green initiatives for MassMutual. “We have to qualify for a certain number of points, so we’ve evaluated our campus and targeted what to go after.”

Just now getting into the year-long process of certification, MassMutual has already done things like implementing more-efficient lighting and switching to low-flow toilets that flush with less water. It’s even installed ‘green’ water chillers, so its drinking fountains are more water-efficient.

It’s also implementing a host of strategies for boosting energy efficiency in its data centers, which is a big thing for financial services institutions because of the huge amount of data they manage. These include such things as server virtualization, optimized rack design, and better cooling systems.

The firm has also switched to recycled paper for printers and copiers. And to promote better air quality, it has started using non-toxic cleaning products, opted for recycled carpets, and brought in eco-friendly furniture.

According to Anderson, the savings add up; in addition to lower electricity bills, the company hopes to save 5 million gallons of water a year as a result of replacing 500 plumbing fixtures in all its buildings.

If there’s one area where MassMutual shines, it’s employee involvement. Eight months ago, it established ‘Green Teams,’ groups of employees whose job it is to think up new ways to reduce waste. They came up with some good ideas.

“Green Teams helped us to get rid of Styrofoam mugs in the cafeteria,” said Anderson. “We used to go through 17,000 Styrofoam cups a month. Now we give our employees green mugs. If they use a green mug, they get free refills and a discount on the price of coffee.”

Green Teams also prompted the company to offer reusable ceramic plates and to recycle plastic water bottles more effectively in the cafeteria.

According to Anderson, ‘green’ initiatives matter to employees. “People really do care about these issues,” he said, adding that it’s also good for recruitment and business. “Employees have a choice in who they want to work for, and customers make choices, too.”

As for businesses considering joining the green bandwagon, Anderson offers a bit of advice: “start small, start big, but just start,” he said. “You don’t have to achieve all your objectives in one day. It took us many years to come up with the program we have today.”

Sawing Away the Excess

Conserving is a hot-button topic for manufacturing companies. Energy usage and waste tie directly into profits. This is why saw blade maker Lenox in East Longmeadow takes its ‘green’ goals so seriously. And being an engineering-oriented company, it meticulously measures the results of its conservation efforts.

“We set very clear goals,” explained Pedro Caceres, global vice president of operations for industrial products and services at Lenox. “We want a 5% net reduction in energy per year, with a goal in five years to get a third of all our energy from renewable sources.” The company has set similar goals for reducing waste material.

So far, it is hitting the marks. This year alone, Lenox reduced its energy consumption by a whopping 8%. It did this by replacing old machining equipment with new, energy-efficient models, and getting employees to do their part. In addition, workers are asked to set machines to ‘idle’ when they’re not being used.

“It’s the same principle as asking someone to switch off the lights when they leave a room,” explained Caceres. “We use reinforcement to reward good habits. That way, the employee owns it.”

Another way Lenox reduces energy is by installing motion sensors on lights, so they switch off when rooms go empty. At one point while talking with BusinessWest, Caceres said, “I’m sitting in the dark right now. The light went out because I haven’t moved in 10 minutes.”

Interestingly, Lenox was the one company BusinessWest spoke to that did have a paperless office. “No paper,” emphasized Caceres; even its reams of training material are stored on computers. “The only thing employees can print is the certificate that says they completed the program successfully.”

Traditional paperwork is now processed electronically. When it comes to purchasing supplies, Lenox relies on a sophisticated automated workflow system. “Our purchase orders get E-mailed to whomever needs to sign off on them, then they go to our suppliers. The signatures and even the archiving is done digitally,” said Caceres.

Customer orders are processed digitally as well. Lenox relies on a CPFR (collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment) system for supply-chain efficiency. The system even gives them a window into customer inventories so they can anticipate future orders.

To reduce material waste, Lenox has done things like calculate the ideal length of steel coil it needs to minimize the amount of scrap material when making saw blades.

Eventually, the company hopes to switch its offices to solar energy. (The manufacturing areas require a lot more electricity to run.) “When you install solar panels, it’s usually a five-year payback, which is out of the range of what most companies consider feasible,” said Caceres. “We’re working to get this to a three-year payback.”

Caceres feels it’s up to businesses to set an example in conservation. “Companies have to take a leadership role in doing the right thing,” he stressed. “If we don’t use our resources properly, then eventually, we won’t have a sustainable system.”

Sacking the Plastic

Grocery stores get stuck with lots of old food and the leftover containers that the food arrives in. Big Y Foods Inc. has a tradition of recycling what it doesn’t use. It’s been composting for more than a decade.

“We compost things that are too old to donate,” explained Sandy Giancola, facilities maintenance manager at Big Y. “That includes things from our product department and our bakery, along with the waxed cardboard our produce gets delivered in. Our food waste goes to a farmer in Greenfield, who gets stuff from 20 Big Y stores in Massachusetts.”

Since last year, Big Y has been implementing an innovative plastic shrink-wrap recycling program. Most of its products arrive in large palettes covered in shrink-wrap plastic. Now it sends that plastic to a company in Virginia that recycles it to make composite decks, rails, and fences.

Big Y is also going green when it comes to bagging groceries. Customers are now allowed to bring in their own bags. Or they can purchase green renewable bags at the store. This helps to eliminate the use of plastic bags that ultimately hurt marine life and clog landfills.

“We’re working to get as many programs on board as possible,” said Giancola. “We’re trying to stay as proactive as we can and do what’s good for the environment.”

Whether it’s taking plastic out of the landfills or paper out of the office, clearly, a little resourcefulness is not a bad thing.v